Colossal Head of Senwosret I
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.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.
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.
Artwork Details
- Title: Colossal Head of Senwosret I
- Period: Middle Kingdom
- Dynasty: Dynasty 12
- Reign: Senwosret I
- Date: ca. 1961-1917 B.C.
- Geography: From Egypt, Upper Egypt; Thebes, Karnak
- Medium: Limestone, paint
- Dimensions: 28 3/4 × 13 3/8 × 19 11/16 in. (73 × 34 × 50 cm)
- Credit Line: Medelhavsmuseet, Stockholm
- Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art