Fragmentary Head of a King

This fragment of sculpture, broken from a seated or standing statue of a king, is the product of a gifted artist trained in a court workshop. Its royal identity is clear from the traces of its headdress and from the beard strap visible along the head’s left side. The strap secured the “false” beard of Osiris, god of the netherworld; the king wore this accessory on ceremonial occasions.

Because of its style we can assign the sculpture to the later part of the Eighteenth Dynasty (1550–1307 B.C.). The full rendering of the lips suggests a date close to the Amarna Age, the period of Amenhotep IV, or Akhenaten (1353–1335 B.C.). On the basis of recent stylistic analysis, it has been suggested that the subject may be Akhenaten’s father, King Amenhotep III (1391–1353 B.C.), renowned as a builder and a patron of the arts. The fleshy, drooping eyelid and full cheeks suggest an aged, mature monarch.

Despite its fragmentary state, the power and strength of this royal subject is apparent. Remains of a chinstrap indicate that the king wore the false beard that marked his status, while the face is that of a mature ruler.