Head of a King or Deity
Description
Object Label: The slight smile, soft facial features, and downward-pointing viper on the brow (where there would normally be a rearing cobra) of some of these images suggest that they represent one or more of the kings of the fourth century b.c.e. Whether sculptors’ models or temple offerings (see case label), they illustrate the diversity contained in and the problems associated with this well-attested category of Egyptian art. For example, the full-figure statuette here (33.593) might seem indeed to have been an artist’s trial piece, and yet its arms are squared off as one would not expect to find on a model. Similarly, the busts might appear to be temple offerings, but several of them have artists’ working marks such as L-shaped depth guides (70.91.2) or a grid pattern (16.76). Caption: Head of a King or Deity, 4th century B.C.E.. Plaster, 9 1/16 x 5 1/2 x 5 1/8 in. (23 x 14 x 13 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 82.22. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
AI image analysis GPT-4o-2024-08-06
Machine-generated from the object's image on May 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.
A painted limestone funerary mask with stylized facial features.
The artifact is a painted limestone mask likely used in a funerary context. The mask features stylized and serene facial expressions, characteristic of ancient Egyptian artistry, possibly representing an idealized likeness of the deceased. The material and craftsmanship suggest it might be part of a sarcophagus or a burial set. The preservation is good, with minor wear visible on the surface.
Cross-references (2)
- BKM-Accession 82.22 tier-2
- BKM-Object 3892 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.