Relief of King Iuput II

luput II may have been a king of Dynasty XXIII; in any event, he was one of Egypt's rulers of Libyan origin who had to submit to the Kushite king Piye when Piye invaded Egypt about 728 B.C. On this unusually large faience plaque, perhaps from a shrine, his facial features, proportions, and attire closely resemble those on monuments of Piye in Kush and of Piye's successor Kushite kings in Egypt. This resemblance may reflect luput's politically motivated imitation of his overlord's appearance. However, variants of many elements of the plaque's style, some of which reflect the art of much earlier periods (Old Kingdom–early New Kingdom, circa 2670–1350 B.C.), are found in Third Intermediate Period art made prior to Kushite influence. Hence it is possible that the plaque's decoration also shows Egyptian trends that influenced the development of Kushite art.