Ivory statuette of a king in jubilee robe

This figurine is one of the earliest surviving portraits 'in the round' of an Egyptian king. It cannot be associated with any particular ruler, although there are tombs of a number of kings of the period not far from the Temple of Osiris at Abydos.The robe, decorated with a fine pattern of diamond shapes enclosed by double lines, is of the distinctive type worn by kings when celebrating the sed or jubilee festival. The figurine may be evidence that this festival was celebrated right at the beginning of the historical period in Egypt.