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Face attributed to Ptolemy II Philadelphos or a contemporary

Ptolemaic Period
285–246 B.C.
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 134
This very fine fragment from a large statue is attributed to the pharaoh Ptolemy II, or perhaps Ptolemy III, or possibly to a high official of those reigns. Unlike portraits of the 30th dynasty pharaohs and early Ptolemaic royal portraits that continue in that vein, the face shows rounded eyes, fleshy cheeks over suppressed bone structure, a broad mouth, and a knobby chin, features that specialists note may reflect early influence of Hellenistic art on Egyptian.
The face was excavated at Heliopolis.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Face attributed to Ptolemy II Philadelphos or a contemporary
  • Period: Ptolemaic Period
  • Dynasty: Ptolemaic Dynasty
  • Reign: reign of Ptolemy II Philadelphos
  • Date: 285–246 B.C.
  • Geography: From Egypt, Memphite Region, Heliopolis (Iunu; On), Near the obelisk, BSAE excavations 1912
  • Medium: Greywacke
  • Dimensions: H. 16.2 cm (6 3/8 in.); W. 10.8 cm (4 1/4 in.); D. 6 cm (2 3/8 in.)
  • Credit Line: Gift of The Egyptian Research Account and British School of Archaeology in Egypt, 1912
  • Object Number: 12.187.31
  • Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

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