Head of an Egyptian Official

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Head of an Egyptian Official
Egypt
reportedly from Memphis.
Ptolemaic Period,
circa 50 B.C.E.
Diorite,
165⁄8 in. (42.2 cm).
The rich, dark patina of this head is not ancient; the original surface has a duller tone. Whether the head represents an individual is a matter of dispute. It may depict a particular but now unknown priest or government official, or it may be a stylization. The curly locks reflect Hellenistic influence, an important component of Egyptian art of the ptolemaic Period, but the formulaic execution is Egyptian. One scholarly opinion holds that the face consists of many nonintegrated features drawn from disparate sources and cannot therefore be individualizing. According to this theory, the front and side views do not merge and the forehead is a schematic, unrealistic trapezoidal configuration. Likewise the facial planes are allegedly too sharply demarcated and the heavily lidded eyes are oversized hieroglyphs. The accuracy of these claims is open to question.