Royal Bust

The slight smile, the soft facial features, and the downward-pointing viper on the brow (where there would normally be a rearing cobra)of some of these images suggest that they represent one or more of the kings of the fourth century B.C.E. Whether sculptors' models or temple offerings (see case label), they illustrate the diversity contained in and the problems associated with this well-attested category of Egyptian art. For example, the busts appear to be temple offerings, but several of them have artists' working marks such as L-shaped depth guides (70.91.2) or a grid pattern (16.76).