Phoenix Ancient Art S.A.

This face, originally covered with fine linen, gesso, and gold leaf, of which traces survive, was cast with recesses for eyes, as well as cosmetic lines, brows, and a beard strap. Lapis inlay survives in the proper left brow, as does stone or faience inlay in the beard straps. There is a hole present in the underside of the chin for the attachment of a long braided beard. There are massive tenons at the top of the brow and at the base of the neck for the attachment of the headdress and body. Also present on this face is an encrusted green patina.

The god represented by this human face cannot be immediately identified, but the gold face and the use of Glass pate are both symbols of divinity, as was the long curved beard which this figure must have possessed. Likewise,  the exact shape of the headdress or crown cannot be determined, but the narrow neck suggests that the figure wore either a tripartite wig or a nemes. The body and headdress could have originally been made of bronze or wood.

The beautifully shaped face, with its delicate features and smiling mouth, is characteristic of the best sculpture of this period. In fact, the Third Intermediate Period in Egypt is known for excellent bronze castings, often highlighted by elaborate inlaying with contrasting metals and with semi-precious stones. Many small bronzes decorated in this manner have survived, but large examples are rare. This is one of the largest known inlaid bronze faces, imbued with the same haunting quality as the fine gold mummy portraits of the period.

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