Sunk Relief of a God or Deified King

ca. 874–773 B.C.E.

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Object Label

Swiss by birth, Jeremiah Theus was the most popular portrait painter to elite society in colonial South Carolina by the mid-eighteenth century. Like many artists of this period, he also taught drawing and did ornamental work and portrait painting in order to supplement his income. He prospered in Charleston and also traveled to the residences of his patrons, the region's wealthy planters. His sitter here is one of the younger of the three sons of Samuel and Mary Odingsell Jones of Charleston. Theus favored the simple oval-bounded format we see here, rendering the youth's fine clothing and robust features with straightforward painterly competence.

Caption

Sunk Relief of a God or Deified King, ca. 874–773 B.C.E.. Limestone, 17 1/8 × 16 15/16 × 1 15/16 in. (43.5 × 43 × 5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 75.167. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Title

Sunk Relief of a God or Deified King

Date

ca. 874–773 B.C.E.

Dynasty

Dynasty 22

Period

Third Intermediate Period

Geography

Possible place made: Northern Egypt, Egypt

Medium

Limestone

Classification

Sculpture

Dimensions

17 1/8 × 16 15/16 × 1 15/16 in. (43.5 × 43 × 5 cm)

Credit Line

Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

Accession Number

75.167

Frequent Art Questions

  • Did this style of wig signify profession or status?

    Very perceptive! This isn't a particularly remarkable wig in styling, but it is of very fine quality, which, of course, indicates wealth and thus status.
    What identifies this individual as a god or king is the bottom of a sundisk that you can see over his head and the remnants of a uraeus cobra coming from his forehead.
    I hadn't noticed that!

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