Head from Block Statue
Egyptian, Early 19th Dynasty.,
Ca. 1200 B.C., Black Granite,
Height: 4 inches.

This beautiful fragment is from a block statue in which the subject is shown squatting, knees to chin, arms folded over them, all wrapped up in a cloak forming a block form, with only the head and feet defined separately. The forms of the body can be seen under the cloak, but only as part of an amorphous mass. That this head comes from such a sculpture can be told by the bit of a shelf remaining coming from the chin, where the cloak went over the knees. Only the right side and part of the left side of the face remains, with the right earlobe as well preserved. From it enough is there to tell that the sculpture wore a double wig, dating to the late 18th, early 19th Dynasty. The lack of cosmetic lines places it at or after the reign of Tutankhamen, and is what one finds in the reign of Seti I, the founder of the 19th Dynasty.

What I love about this sculpture is the material, polish, and the eternal smile that Egyptian Art is known for. Somehow it captures the essence of Egyptian art for me.