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Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.

Head of a Statue of Senwosret III as a Sphinx

Middle Kingdom

ca. 1878-1840 B.C.

Not on view

This object is not part of The Met collection. It was in the Museum for a special exhibition and has been returned to the lender.

The manner in which the back of the head was shaped indicates that it once belonged to a large depiction of the king as a sphinx. Here, the features of Senwosret III are more subtle, the bone structure less distinct, and the mouth only slightly downturned. In some respects, the face bears a certain similarity to the graywacke head of Amenemhat III also in this gallery, suggesting that this sphinx head dates later in Senwosret III’s reign.

Head of a Statue of Senwosret III as a Sphinx, Black granite — Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Title: Head of a Statue of Senwosret III as a Sphinx

Period: Middle Kingdom

Dynasty: Dynasty 12

Reign: Senwosret III

Date: ca. 1878-1840 B.C.

Geography: From Egypt

Medium: Black granite

Dimensions: 8 5/8 × 13 1/16 × 12 5/8 in. (21.9 × 33.2 × 32.1 cm)

Credit Line: Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Ägyptisch-Orientalische Sammlung

Accession Number: SL.3.2015.36.6

The Met

Egyptian Art at The Met

The Met's collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 26,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from the Paleolithic to the Roman period.