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Unknown Maker, Egyptian

Head of a man
Now On View

Maker

Unknown Maker, Egyptian

Culture

Egyptian

Title

Head of a man

Year

380-250 BCE

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

basalt

Dimensions

Height: 36.2 cm (14 1/4 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Georgianna Sayles Aldrich Fund, Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund, Mary B. Jackson Fund, Walter H. Kimball Fund and Edgar J. Lownes Fund

Object Number

85.093

Type

Exhibition History

Ancient Egyptian Galleries
Jun 10, 2014

Label copy

This basalt head is representative of the so-called "egghead" style of portraiture popular in Ptolemaic Egypt, characterized by soft facial features and a bald head with an elongated cranium. It has been suggested that these "eggheads" resemble the heads of infants, which may tie them to hopes for eternal youth in the afterlife.

This particular example was once part of a larger-than-life-size statue of a dignitary, most likely from a temple.

New Works from the Ancient World
May 23, 1986 – Aug 30, 1986

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Egyptian
Head of a man, 380-250 BCE
Basalt
Height: 36.2 cm (14 1/4 inches)
Georgianna Sayles Aldrich Fund, Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund, Mary B. Jackson Fund, Walter H. Kimball Fund and Edgar J. Lownes Fund 85.093

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