Tickets
English
DonateMembership
Tickets

Statue of a kneeling Kushite king

Third Intermediate Period, Kushite Period
ca. 721–664 BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 125
Kushite kings wore distinctive regalia, including a cap crown, double uraei, and ram's-head amulets. On this kneeling king, the double uraei have been "corrected" to one, while the ram's-head amulets on the necklace and the king's name on his belt have been hammered out by a later Saite king. The cap crown with a falcon engraved in the back, the bandeau with streamers, and the diadem with many tiny uraei were left untouched.

The small bronze kneeling figure represents two aspects of Kushite Period art that are intensifications of tendencies already extant in the Third Intermediate Period. Provision of small bronze royal attendant statuary demonstrated an specially pious regard for the gods and their temples. And, stylistically, there was an inclination toward models from the past, particularly the Old Kingdom, a taste clearly visible in the broad shoulders and narrow waist of the small bronze.

The large gold ram's-head amulet 1989.281.98 is an actual example of the type that was worn on this king's neck cord.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Statue of a kneeling Kushite king
  • Period: Third Intermediate Period, Kushite Period
  • Dynasty: Dynasty 25
  • Date: ca. 721–664 BCE
  • Geography: From Egypt and Sudan, Nubia
  • Medium: Bronze; gold leaf
  • Dimensions: H. 7.3 × W. 3.2 × D. 3.7 cm (2 7/8 × 1 1/4 × 1 7/16 in.)
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift and Anne and John V. Hansen Egyptian Purchase Fund, 2002
  • Object Number: 2002.8
  • Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Ram's-head Amulet, Gold
Ram's-head Amulet
ca. 721–664 BCE
Priest with vase and censer, Leaded bronze, gold leaf on censer and vessel
Priest with vase and censer
ca. 945–721 BCE
Block Statue of a Prophet of Montu and Scribe Djedkhonsuefankh, son of Khonsumes and Taat, Gabbro
Block Statue of a Prophet of Montu and Scribe Djedkhonsuefankh, son of Khonsumes and Taat
690–610 BCE
Spherical jar with four rows of painted decoration, Pottery, paint
Spherical jar with four rows of painted decoration
100 B.C.–A.D. 300
Statue of the God Ptah, Bronze, gold leaf, glass
Statue of the God Ptah
ca. 1080–721 BCE

Related Content

Perspectives

Articles, audio, and video from The Met's online magazine.

Timeline of Art History

Entries and chronologies from The Met's art encyclopedia.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

From the Department

Research and commentary from Museum staff.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.