Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art: Head of Wesirwer, Priest of the God Montu

• Download
• Add to set
• Favorite
• Posse icon
• Share
• Print

Head of Wesirwer, Priest of the God Montu

The fragmentary inscription on the dorsal pillar of this head contains a rebus that reveals the owner's name—Wesirwer ("Osiris Is Great")—and part of his title. An inscription on a statue in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo to which the head was originally attached (see photo) reveals that Wesirwer was a priest of the Theban god Montu. On the Cairo statue, Wesirwer holds figures of the Theban divine triad—Amun, king of the gods; Mut, his consort; and Khonsu, their child, a god of the moon. He sports an Achaemenid-, or Persian-, style garment, which had been introduced before Dynasty XXVII (circa 525–404 B.C.), a period of foreign occupation.

The Brooklyn fragment belongs to a group of green-stone heads that combine both conventional and naturalistic facial details. Wesirwer's egg-shaped skull and almond eyes are standard elements of fourth-century works, but the serene gaze is a naturalizing element perhaps evocative of Wesirwer's piety.

• Medium: Schist
• Place Found: Karnak, Egypt
• Dates: ca. 380-342 B.C.E.
• Dynasty: XXX Dynasty
• Period: Late Period
• Dimensions: 6 x 3 1/2 x 4 1/2 in. (15.2 x 8.9 x 11.4 cm)
• Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art
• Museum Location: This item is on view in Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity, 19th Dynasty to Roman Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor
• Accession Number: 55.175
• Credit Line: Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
• Image: 3/4 front, 55.175_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
Head of Wesirwer, Priest of the God Montu, ca. 380-342 B.C.E. Schist, 6 x 3 1/2 x 4 1/2 in. (15.2 x 8.9 x 11.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 55.175 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 55.175_SL1.jpg)