Head from a Statue of an Official
Culture: Egyptian
Period: Old Kingdom
Dynasty: Dynasty 3-8
Date: ca. 2686-2125 B.C.
Medium: Gneiss
Dimensions:
height: 5 1/2 in. (14 cm)
Credit Line: San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of Gilbert M. Denman, Jr.
Object number: 91.80.128
Provenance: Edward Smith, New York, by 1973; sold by Edward Smith at Sotheby's, New York, May 4, 1973, lot 209; Gilbert M. Denman, Jr. (1921-2004), San Antonio by gift to San Antonio Museum of Art, 1991
Label Text
This head probably came from a statue placed in its subject's tomb. Such statues provided a resting place for the deceased’s spirit or ka, while food and clothing offered to the statues were meant to sustain the deceased in the afterlife. The hard, dark stone used for this head suggests the deceased was an official of high rank. It came from a quarry in the Nubian Desert far to the south of the major Old Kingdom cemeteries. The difficulty of procuring and working this stone increased both the cost and the prestige of statues made with this material.
[J. Powers, 2015]
[J. Powers, 2015]
On view
In Collection(s)
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
