Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Colossal Head of Senwosret I
Middle Kingdom
Not on view
This object is not part of The Met collection. It was in the Museum for a special exhibition and has been returned to the lender.
This imposing head was once part of a mummiform statue of the king wrapped in a linen shroud and holding large ankh (life) amulets in his crossed hands. Over 10 feet high, the statue was one of a group representing Senwosret I as king of Upper and Lower Egypt. Lined up either along the approach to the temple or to the sides of an entrance, the statues marked and guarded the transition from the outside world to a sacred interior. The king wears the double crown, which generally signifies both parts of the country, but here substitutes for the difficult to sculpt Lower Egyptian crown.
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This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
