Collections: Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art: Sunk Relief Representation of Ptolemy II

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Sunk Relief Representation of Ptolemy II

Although the Ptolemaic Period ushered in a long period of foreign rule, the Macedonian kings of that dynasty did not interfere with the Egyptian artistic traditions of the preceding three milennia. Ptolemy II Philadelphos, like his father Ptolemy I Soter, the founder of the dynasty, continued the practice of building and decorating temples in traditional Egyptian fashion.

While this is not to say that the Macedonian rulers did not have Greek artists portray them according to Greek artistic conventions, here the Greek ruler is shown in a purely Egyptian guise, wearing the traditional nemes-headdress of the pharaoh. The style of the relief, including the deeply cut navel, the horizontal treatment of the torso muscles, the "golf ball" chin, and the upturned smile, is common in representations from Dynasties XXIX and XXX (circa 399–342 B.C.) and was readily adopted by the Ptolemies into their iconographic program. Visible behind the king is the figure of a goddess in another scene.

• Medium: Granite
• Place Made: Behbeit el Higra, Egypt
• Dates: 285 or 282-246 B.C.E.
• Period: Ptolemaic Period
• Dimensions: 27 3/16 x 23 5/8 x 2 3/8 in. (69 x 60 x 6 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: 72.127
• Credit Line: Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
• Image: Overall, 72.127_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
Sunk Relief Representation of Ptolemy II, 285 or 282-246 B.C.E. Granite, 27 3/16 x 23 5/8 x 2 3/8 in. (69 x 60 x 6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 72.127 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 72.127_SL1.jpg)