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Basalt Male Head from a Statue with
a Back Pillar
Egypt,
1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.
H. 20.9 cm (8 1/4")
63.45 Ex-Dattari Collection, Cairo
This Egyptian-style head of an aging man was part of a standing figure
with a back pillar probably inscribed with hieroglyphs (the pillar top
is preserved at the nape; see side view). The polished surface of the skin
contrasts with the rougher rendering of the hair: this change of texture
may be intended to substitute for the effect of paint (no basalt heads
are known to have been painted). The man's age is conveyed by the modeling
of cheeks and brow combined with the linear engraving of brow furrows,
under-eye pouches, nose-to-mouth creases, and straight mouth. The semi-circular
top of the back pillar, of a late type, helps to date the sculpture to
Roman times.
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