A rare and exquisite limestone portrait of a pharaoh

A rare and exquisite limestone portrait of a pharaoh, Old Kingdom, c. 2649-2150 BC. The well-defined features indicate a royal workshop. He wears both the Nemes headdress and the royal uraeus. In the carving of the lips, the eyes, the ears and the well-defined cheekbones the portrait most closely resembles the Fifth Dynasty ruler Sahure (and the 12th Dynasty ruler Amenemhat I. Portraits of any Old Kingdom Pharaohs are extremely rare. H: 1 1/8 in (2.8cm). Cf. 'Art of Ancient Egypt', Michalowski pg. 379 photo 314, and pg. 363 photo 206. Ex Pilar Muniz de Camahort, acquired in Cairo from R.M. Nahman in the 1950’s; thence descent. Pilar Muniz de Camhort was married to Ricardo Muniz y Verdugo Minister Counselor in the Spanish Embassy to King Farouk and later President Nasser.

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