Green siltstone head of a king

From Egypt
26th-30th Dynasty, 600-340 BC

Perhaps Amasis or Nectanebo I

This fine green siltstone head exhibits the bland, serene features typical of Late Period (661-332 BC) and Ptolemaic sculpture. It has been suggested that it either represents Amasis (570-526 BC) of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty or Nectanebo I (380-362 BC) of the Thirtieth Dynasty. The highly polished stone is also typical of later sculptures.

Repairs have been made to the statue at some date, perhaps in the Roman period (after 30 BC). The nose and uraeus on the king's brow appear to have been damaged at some point, and the surfaces were then shaped to take separate replacement pieces. An extra slot for a peg to hold the nose in place can be seen. Repairs like this are common in Egyptian sculpture.

T.G.H. James and W.V. Davies, Egyptian sculpture (London, The British Museum Press, 1983)

E.R. Russmann, Eternal Egypt: masterworks of (University of California Press, 2001)

K. Mysliwiec, Royal portraiture of the dynas (Mainz, 1988)

I. Shaw and P. Nicholson (eds.), British Museum dictionary of A (London, The British Museum Press, 1995)