Title
Description
A plaster cast of a head from a statue found at the Temple of Amun in Thebes, Egypt. Original housed in the Egyptian Museum in Turin, Italy circa 1550-712 BCE (New Kingdom).
Publication Date
1978
Type of Artwork
Portrait bust
Time Period/Geographical Region
Ancient Egypt
Height (cm/in)
60.94 cm / 24 in
Width (cm/in)
58.42 cm / 23 in
Depth (cm/in)
40.64 cm / 16 in
Disciplines
Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity | Sculpture
Recommended Citation
Morehead State University. Camden-Carroll Library., "Head of a Pharaoh" (1978). Metropolitan Museum of Art Cast Collection. 29.
https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/metropolitan_art_collection/29
Files
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Download Image (1.4 MB)
Comments
The pharaoh wears the traditional headdress with raised cobra, known as the Uraeus symbol. He also wears a false ceremonial beard, which was tied around his head with a strap (you can see the chin strap in this cast). In the original statue, the pharaoh is shown kneeling, holding his arms outwards with a globe-shaped wine glass in each hand. A statue like this would have been placed in a temple, making the offering in order to appease the gods for all eternity.