Torso of Amenpayom
Unknown Artist
probably 200–100 BCE
Medium
granodiorite
Dimensions
96.4 × 32.3 × 28.6 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of the Hanna Fund
Accession Number
1948.141
About this artwork
This magnificent life-sized torso is inscribed for Amenpayom, the great army general of the district of Mendes in the Nile Delta. By the end of the Ptolemaic dynasty (305-30 BC) when this statue was made, the Egyptians could draw on 3,000 years of expertise carving hard stone. Enough remains to show that Amenpayom was represented in the traditional pose for men: left leg striding forward, arms at his sides, and supported by a back pillar. The subtle, masterful treatment of the undulating muscula...