Head of Amenhotep III Wearing the Blue Crown
c. 1391–1353 BCE
- Medium
- granodiorite
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Dimensions
- Overall: 39.1 x 30.3 x 27.7 cm (15 3/8 x 11 15/16 x 10 7/8 in.)
- Culture
- Egypt, New Kingdom (1540–1069 BCE), Dynasty 18, reign of Amenhotep III (1390–1352 BCE)
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art
- Credit line
- Gift of the Hanna Fund
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Cleveland Museum of Art
About this work
During the long, peaceful reign of Amenhotep III, Egypt reached a pinnacle of wealth and splendor. This magnificent portrait captures the ruler's exotic features to perfection. He has large, almond-shaped eyes, elegant arched eyebrows, and a full mouth. His face is youthful and without blemish. The bone structure is lost in the fleshy fullness of the face. The contrast between polished and roughened surfaces is a hallmark of hard stone images of Amenhotep III. The flesh areas were smoothed to a glistening sheen, while the eyeballs and the crown were left rougher. The roughening of the crown also had a practical purpose, for the upper portion was originally painted blue and the browband was painted yellow. The paint would have adhered better to the unpolished surface.
