Head of Serapis
Description
Object Label: ART OF BELIEF Each of these works is the product of a religious tradition that synthesized and adapted new beliefs and art forms to existing faith systems. Both objects are testaments to the long-standing global nature of African religions, ideas, and art. The stone sculpture represents Serapis, a composite god created early in the Ptolemaic (Greek) rule of Egypt to unite Greeks and Egyptians. The deity combined aspects of Egyptian gods (especially Osiris, the ruler of the Underworld) with Greek deities (particularly Zeus, the king of the gods). Worship of Serapis continued in the Roman period and eventually spread to Europe. The painting depicts al-Buraq, the winged horse with a woman's head on which the prophet Muhammad flew the mi'raj, his nocturnal journey to heaven to meet God. Like many in Senegal, Gora Mbengue was a member of a Sufi order, a group dedicated to the practice of a mystical interpretation of Islam. Sufism played an important role in the spread of Islam in West Africa, inspiring schools and movements particularly open to melding new and existing systems of belief and image making. Reverse glass painting (souwère) developed by 1900 in Senegal's cities, as pilgrims on the hajj to Mecca brought the technique back from the eastern Mediterranean. Provenance: Culture Roman Caption: Roman. Head of Serapis, 75–150 C.E.. Marble, 10 3/8 x 7 3/8 x 6 7/8 in. (26.4 x 18.7 x 17.5 cm) 21.2 lb. (9.62kg). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.1522E. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
AI image analysis GPT-5.4-nano
Machine-generated from the object's image on Jul 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.
Marble head sculpture showing a bearded male with wavy hair and a furrowed brow, in a Greco-Roman sculptural style consistent with the god Serapis.
The image depicts the upper portion of a stone/marble sculpted head in three-quarter view. The figure has long, wavy hair that frames the face and falls in ringlets around both sides of the head. Thick facial hair includes a moustache and a full, stylized beard with layered curls. The eyes are carved with shallow, rounded forms; the nose is prominent; and the lips are slightly parted with a neutral, solemn expression. No visible inscription, cartouche, or legible text appears on the head or background in the photograph. The surface shows weathering and tool marks consistent with an ancient sculptural fragment or worn head. The museum catalogue identifies the work as the “Head of Serapis,” and nothing visible here clearly contradicts that identification; however, specific iconographic attributes besides the bearded, curly-haired male head are not detailed enough to confirm beyond stylistic compatibility.
Cross-references (2)
- BKM-Accession 37.1522E tier-2
- BKM-Object 118050 tier-2
About this record's data
- From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Brooklyn Museum — Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art.
- AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
- Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
- Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.