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Egyptian

Ptolemy II with Ritual Rattle (Sistrum), 285-246 BCE

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Description

Maker

Culture

Egyptian

Title

Ptolemy II with Ritual Rattle (Sistrum)

Year

285-246 BCE

Medium

Granite

Materials/Techniques

Materials

Dimensions

68.6 x 71.1 cm (27 x 28 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Band of hieroglyphics in lower right corner

Place

From the Temple of Isis at Behbeit el Higara in the Nile Delta

Type

Credit

Museum Appropriation Fund

Object Number

18.740

Projects & Publications

Publications

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Ancient Egyptian Galleries

The technique employed here is sunk relief, a method of stone carving used by the Egyptians to decorate temple walls. The depth of the sunk-relief carving would have created shadows in sunlight, allowing the details of the image to stand out far better than if they were painted or executed in raised relief. Here, the muscles of Ptolemy's torso and the shape of his face are clearly visible.

King Ptolemy II was of Macedonian rather than Egyptian descent, but this monument adheres to older Egyptian sculptural traditions, with the king's face shown in profile and his shoulders from the front. His body is an ideal of youth and strength, and he wears a traditional Egyptian crown. In his right hand he holds a sistrum, a rattle used in Egyptian ritual.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Ptolemy II with Ritual Rattle (Sistrum) with the accession number of 18.740. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.