<em>Head of an Early Eighteenth Dynasty King</em>, ca. 1539–1493 B.C.E. Sandstone, pigment, 28 x 11 x 24 in., 160 lb. (71.1 x 27.9 x 61 cm, 72.58kg). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.38E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.38E_SL1.jpg)

Head of an Early Eighteenth Dynasty King, ca. 1539–1493 B.C.E. Sandstone, pigment, 28 x 11 x 24 in., 160 lb. (71.1 x 27.9 x 61 cm, 72.58kg). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.38E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.38E_SL1.jpg)

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Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

What happened to the nose? I noticed that most of the Egyptian figures have missing noses!

Missing noses in ancient Egyptian sculpture can usually be attributed to two causes:

The simple one is that noses stick out and therefore break off more easily if the statue falls, for example.

The other, and more prevalent one, is based on the ancient Egyptian belief that a soul could inhabit a statue. By cutting off the nose, the statue can't breathe and is therefore rendered dead. It's also easier than destroying the whole figure.

Fundamentalists in the early days of Christianity in Egypt cut the noses off of statues as a way to destroy the old gods.

Thank you.

Tell me more.

Here you see the white crown of Upper Egypt. Throughout Egyptian history, you see royal headdresses indicating the separate geographic regions of the country.

I’ve noticed a lot of sculptural pieces have the description on the side of the display rather than the front. is there a reason for that?

It's a choice that the curators and exhibition designers made. One benefit to this placement is that some who wants to spend time reading the whole label will not be standing directly in front of other viewers.

Oh! That is very smart. I haven’t seen that anywhere else but it’s a great idea. Thanks!

You're welcome! Another benefit is that is leads more people to take a look at this sculpture's dramatic profile!

So true! A lot of these Egyptian pieces are incredible from the side. They really pay attention to all angles. I like that some of them have hieroglyphs written down the back.

They really are! And yes! Writing was as important--if not more so--than images, it was the way that images were identified.

Sometimes, the writing down the back might not even have been seen. Just the fact that it was there was most important.

Why is he wearing a big hat?

That big hat is a crown!

The figure you're looking at is a king, from the Early 18th dynasty. He wears the white crown of Upper Egypt (Southern Egypt).

Thanks

Info please.

The date of this head was determined based on the style of the facial features. We know it represents a king of Egypt because of his headdress. He wears the White Crown of Upper (meaning southern) Egypt, and the shape at the front would have been a cobra, called a uraeus, symbolizing a protective goddess.

Tell me more.

I especially love the opportunity to get up close and personal with this over life-size statue of a king! Ordinarily, his head would be far above ours, but this way we can get a good look at all the subtle carving details. It is by the style of the face, especially the wide-set, upwardly angled, spherical eyes, and the broad, flaring nose, that scholars have narrowed down the unknown identity of this head to one of two kings.

Head of an Early Eighteenth Dynasty King

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor

This head comes from a royal statue made at the beginning of the Eighteenth Dynasty. The simplified facial features and smiling little mouth do not represent the king’s likeness but are meant to recall images of earlier great rulers. Because the name on this statue has been lost, the identity of its subject is uncertain. It probably represents Ahmose or his son Amunhotep I, the chief imitators of the earlier Middle Kingdom style.

MEDIUM Sandstone, pigment

Possible Place Made: Thebes, Egypt

DATES ca. 1539–1493 B.C.E.

DYNASTY Dynasty 18

PERIOD New Kingdom

DIMENSIONS 28 x 11 x 24 in., 160 lb. (71.1 x 27.9 x 61 cm, 72.58kg) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 37.38E

CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Fragment of a sandstone statue of a king probably Amenhotep I of Dyn. XVIII. The osiride figure is preserved from the neck up. The king is represented as wearing the White Crown, with uraeus, and a long beard. A tall back pillar, which tapers towards the top, rises almost to the top of the crown. The face is damaged. The plastic eyebrows dip slightly towards the root of the nose. The eyes are bulging with the upper lids being strongly undercut and extending past the lower lids at both ends. The cosmetic lines are treated plastically. A philtrum is indicated. The mouth is pursed with the corners being drawn up and indented. The ears are simple and remains in one plane. The weak jaw runs fairly smoothly into the neck. Much of the original paint is preserved. The skin is painted red; the beard and brows are black. The chin strap for the beard is unpainted. Condition: Piece is much damaged. Top of crown, nose, beard, and face are chipped; paint only partially preserved.

EXHIBITIONS

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor

CAPTION Head of an Early Eighteenth Dynasty King, ca. 1539–1493 B.C.E. Sandstone, pigment, 28 x 11 x 24 in., 160 lb. (71.1 x 27.9 x 61 cm, 72.58kg). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.38E. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 37.38E_SL1.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 37.38E_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

RECORD COMPLETENESS

Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.

Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

What happened to the nose? I noticed that most of the Egyptian figures have missing noses!

Missing noses in ancient Egyptian sculpture can usually be attributed to two causes:

The simple one is that noses stick out and therefore break off more easily if the statue falls, for example.

Fundamentalists in the early days of Christianity in Egypt cut the noses off of statues as a way to destroy the old gods.

Thank you.

Tell me more.

Here you see the white crown of Upper Egypt. Throughout Egyptian history, you see royal headdresses indicating the separate geographic regions of the country.

I’ve noticed a lot of sculptural pieces have the description on the side of the display rather than the front. is there a reason for that?

Oh! That is very smart. I haven’t seen that anywhere else but it’s a great idea. Thanks!

You're welcome! Another benefit is that is leads more people to take a look at this sculpture's dramatic profile!

So true! A lot of these Egyptian pieces are incredible from the side. They really pay attention to all angles. I like that some of them have hieroglyphs written down the back.

They really are! And yes! Writing was as important--if not more so--than images, it was the way that images were identified.

Sometimes, the writing down the back might not even have been seen. Just the fact that it was there was most important.

Why is he wearing a big hat?

That big hat is a crown!

The figure you're looking at is a king, from the Early 18th dynasty. He wears the white crown of Upper Egypt (Southern Egypt).

Thanks

Info please.

Tell me more.