Artist's Trial PieceLate Period, 26th Dynasty, reign of Amasis or later (circa 570–525 BCE)

On view:

Geffen Galleries, floor 1

Title: Artist's Trial Piece
Place Made: Egypt
Date Made: Late Period, 26th Dynasty, reign of Amasis or later (circa 570–525 BCE)
Medium: Limestone
Dimensions: 14 × 7 × 7 in. (35.56 × 17.78 × 17.78 cm)
Credit Line: William Randolph Hearst Collection
Accession Number: 51.25.3
Classification: Sculpture
Collecting Area: Egyptian Art
Curatorial Notes: Egyptian artists sometimes reused slabs of stone to work out details for future projects. This example depicts three carefully carved images: a delicate profile view of a male head, possibly a king; the face of an owl, a rare frontal image used to represent the hieroglyphic sign for “m”; and a dog or jackal, the personification of the god Anubis. On the reverse of the slab, in an upside-down orientation, a figure performs an official duty, the “hacking of the ground,” an episode from an official dedication ceremony. The inscription in the adjacent cartouche identifies the figure as Amasis II (r. c. 570−526), and he wears the kingly atef crown consisting of a conical head covering with two feathers on top of a pair of ram’s horns. In addition, he wears a short kilt and a wig topped by an uraeus crown with a long decorative ribbon.

On view:

Geffen Galleries, floor 1

Title: Artist's Trial Piece
Place Made: Egypt
Date Made: Late Period, 26th Dynasty, reign of Amasis or later (circa 570–525 BCE)
Medium: Limestone
Dimensions: 14 × 7 × 7 in. (35.56 × 17.78 × 17.78 cm)
Credit Line: William Randolph Hearst Collection
Accession Number: 51.25.3
Classification: Sculpture
Collecting Area: Egyptian Art
Curatorial Notes: Egyptian artists sometimes reused slabs of stone to work out details for future projects. This example depicts three carefully carved images: a delicate profile view of a male head, possibly a king; the face of an owl, a rare frontal image used to represent the hieroglyphic sign for “m”; and a dog or jackal, the personification of the god Anubis. On the reverse of the slab, in an upside-down orientation, a figure performs an official duty, the “hacking of the ground,” an episode from an official dedication ceremony. The inscription in the adjacent cartouche identifies the figure as Amasis II (r. c. 570−526), and he wears the kingly atef crown consisting of a conical head covering with two feathers on top of a pair of ram’s horns. In addition, he wears a short kilt and a wig topped by an uraeus crown with a long decorative ribbon.