An Egyptian basalt head of a priest

An Egyptian basalt head of a priest
Ptolemaic Period, circa 332-30 B.C.
The shaven-headed man naturalistically carved, the mature features with heavy lidded eyes and crow's feet creases at the outer corners, with fleshy cheeks and down-turned mouth, 16.5cm high

Provenance:
Harold Lee Decker (1945-1989) collection, VA.
Estate of Harold Decker; Scott & Company, Norfolk, VA, 6-7 October 1990.
Norman Fletcher Goodwin collection, acquired at the above auction, until 2019.

For centuries Egyptian sculptors had portrayed men's features in an idealised manner, but during the Ptolemaic Period artists began to create images of 'real' people and demonstrated true portraiture skills. They often portrayed older statesmen-like faces, such as the above lot, whose well lived-in features indicates his high status and power. For a discussion of such portrait heads cf. B. Bothmer, Egyptian Sculpture of the Late Period, 700B.C. to A.D. 100, The Brooklyn Museum, 1961, pp. 136-137 and 143, including similar portrait heads, pls. 87, 95, 97, 98 and 99.