Head of Amenhotep III Wearing the Round Wig
Unknown Artist
c. 1391–1353 BCE
Medium
brown quartzite
Dimensions
17.3 × 17 × 25.3 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Accession Number
1961.417
About this artwork
Although he must have been nearly 50 years old when this portrait was carved, Amenhotep III appears more youthful than ever. Over a round, curly wig he wears a diadem with side streamers adorned with cobras bearing sun disks on their heads. The stone quartzite was associated with the sun on account of its ruddy hues, ranging in color from brown to red to purple. It was a favorite of Amenhotep III, the king who called himself the "dazzling sun-disk of all lands."