Photograph by Ed Pollard, Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II digital slr-2009.

Head and Torso of a Man

Artist Unknown

CultureEgyptian

DateLate Period, Dynasty 26, 664-525 B.C.E.

MediumBasalt

DimensionsBase: 2 3/4 x 4 1/4 x 3 in. (7 x 10.8 x 7.6 cm)
8 5/8 in. (21.9 cm)
Other (Figurine): 5 3/4 x 3 3/4 x 2 1/2 in. (14.6 x 9.5 x 6.4 cm)

InscribedOn the back pillar, two columns of hieroglyphs.

Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.

Object number71.2217.26

Collections

Ancient Mediterranean Art

On View

Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 109

DescriptionMale statue broken at hip height. The surface of the body shows very few details, except the face and the parting of the hair in the middle of the brow. The man wears a round wig to the shoulders. A belt can be seen in the back, suggesting that the man had bare chest and was wearing a skirt. A back pillar supports the sculpture, and stops under the wig.

Label TextHead and Torso of a Nobleman Late Period, Dynasty 26, 664–525 B.C.E. Basalt Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.2217.26 Broken at the hip, this fragmentary figure of an Egyptian noblemanmcould once have been a full-length figure. (A pillar supports the statue on the verso, and traces of a belt visible on the nobleman’s lower back suggest that he originally may have been shown wearing a skirt.) The statue was likely placed in a temple, where worthy officials were sometimes allowed to set their effigies, giving their souls access to a god after death and a share in the god’s ceremonies and offerings. The pillar is inscribed with hieroglyphs that confirm this notion (see illustration). While the hieroglyphs on the pillar’s left side are too damaged to be legible, the right side can be translated as follows: [An offering that] the king makes to [Osiris] Wen-nefer [=the Good-Being], foremost of the Westerners… This standard invocation proclaims that the king makes an offering to the god Osiris on the nobleman’s behalf. The nobleman’s name has unfortunately been worn away. Ancient Egyptians believed that as long as inscriptions like this could be read, such offerings would magically continue.Exhibition History"The Allure of Ancient Egypt," Selden Arcade, Norfolk, VA, June 18 - August 17, 2013.Published ReferencesBrooklyn Museum, _Corpus of Late Egyptian Sculpture_, not the published catalogue.