Head of a king as Khepri, possibly Ptolemy VI Philometor

Ptolemaic or Roman Period

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 134

Ptolemy VI Philometor ascended the throne as a child and his mother, Cleopatra I, acted as regent. He married his sister, Cleopatra II, and ruled jointly with her.

A scarab beetle designating the god Khepri is carved in relief on top of this royal head, which belongs stylistically to the Ptolemaic Period. The representation of the pharaoh as Khepri, a creative god, has a long history, although it has been suggested the representation here is tied more specificially to the Ptolemy VI, one of whose names refers to Ptah-Khepri.

Head of a king as Khepri, possibly Ptolemy VI Philometor, Limestone, paint traces

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Head of a king as Khepri, possibly Ptolemy VI Philometor, Limestone, paint traces
Head of a king as Khepri, possibly Ptolemy VI Philometor, Limestone, paint traces
Head of a king as Khepri, possibly Ptolemy VI Philometor, Limestone, paint traces

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.