Inlay of the upper part of a king with arms raised
Unknown Artist
400–200 B.C.
Medium
Faience
Dimensions
H. 10.8 cm (4 1/4 in.); W. 5.6 cm (2 3/16 in.); D. 1.3 cm (1/2 in.)
Classification
Inlay, upper part of a king
Period
Late Period–Ptolemaic Period
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1926
Accession Number
26.7.1006
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate faience inlay captures the upper torso of an Egyptian king, his arms raised in a classic of adoration or offering to the gods. Crafted between 400–200 B.C. during the Late Period to early Ptolemaic era, it measures just 10.8 cm high, suggesting it once adorned a larger statue, pectoral, or piece of furniture in a temple or royal setting. Faience, a glazed composite of quartz paste fired to a brilliant turquoise hue, was prized in ancient Egypt for its luminous, jewel-like quality, evoking the eternal blue of the Nile and the heavens. The king's idealized form reflects enduring E...