Face and Shoulder from an Anthropoid Sarcophagus
Description
Object Label: The rough, coarse surface of the original material revealed in the damage on this fragment stands in contrast to the magnificence of the highly polished basalt. In the later periods of Egyptian history, artists and their patrons preferred a shiny finish for stone statues and sarcophagi. The delicate shape of the face, the outlined eyes with slightly upturned eyebrows, the high cheekbones, and the full, smiling lips are characteristic of the Ptolemaic Period. Caption: Face and Shoulder from an Anthropoid Sarcophagus, 332–30 B.C.E.. Greywacke, 18 1/2 × 20 1/2 × 5 in., 38.5 lb. (47 × 52.1 × 12.7 cm, 17.46kg) as mounted: 20 × 20 1/2 × 5 1/2 in. (50.8 × 52.1 × 14 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.1516E. (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.
Carved stone fragment showing the face and upper shoulder area of an anthropoid-style sarcophagus figure, with a broad, simplified head and facial features.
The image depicts a dark grey stone sculpture fragment consisting of a rounded male/broad-faced head and attached shoulder section. The forehead, eyes (with defined upper lids), nose, and mouth are modeled in low relief typical of anthropoid sarcophagus decoration, though details are worn or simplified. The head is capped with a band-like headdress or wig mass over the forehead and extending backward; ears are indicated on both sides. The shoulder area is carved with a smooth, slightly curved surface suggesting the transition from the head to the torso of a larger anthropoid sarcophagus figure. No clear hieroglyphic inscriptions, cartouches, or explicitly labeled divine symbols are visible in the provided view. There is no Greek/Coptic/Arabic text visible. The overall material appears to be a coarse dark grey stone consistent with the catalogue’s greywacke, with weathering and surface abrasion evident along edges and breaks.
Cross-references (2)
- BKM-Accession 37.1516E tier-2
- BKM-Object 118047 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.