Published Limestone Head of Ptolemy II

Culture: Egyptian

Period: Early Ptolemaic Period, circa 285-246 B.C.

Material: Limestone

Dimensions: 10.6 cm high

Price: 10 000 Euro

Ref: 1586

Provenance: From the South German collection of Prof. Martin Eduard Winkler (1893-1982), acquired in the 1950s-1960s, probably in Egypt, as suggested by the label with Arabic inscription on the underside of the base. Published in: Dietrich Wildung et al. „Entdeckungen. Ägyptische Kunst in Süddeutschland”, Mainz am Rhein 1985, no. 136.

Condition: Unrestored, with ancient losses on the right side and at the back. The face, however, is beautifully preserved.

Description: Finely carved limestone head of the youthful Pharaoh Ptolemy II, featuring his characteristically rounded face, straight eyebrows above almond-shaped eyes with sharply defined, thin lids, and full lips, the upper slightly overhanging the lower. The chin is pronounced. Particularly striking is the uraeus serpent, which extends to the headband and partially overlaps it. Ptolemy wears the khepresh, the blue crown often interpreted as a war crown, but which also appears in depictions of royal children and youths, where it served as a symbol of renewal and rightful heirship. The head is published in: Dietrich Wildung et al. „Entdeckungen. Ägyptische Kunst in Süddeutschland”, Mainz am Rhein 1985, no. 136. There, the portrait is described as a sculptor's model, since it was not part of a complete statue. However, the refined and fully finished execution could also indicate that it was intended as a votive head in honour of the young pharaoh. Mounted on an old wooden base with a mid-20th-century label. The label bears the Arabic inscription “13C1” and below it, in blue ink, “1488”. On an old wooden base.