Ancient Egyptian Nobleman

This exquisitely carved relief captures an unknown nobleman at the height of the New Kingdom, his profile rendered with soft confidence, the aquiline nose, the gently defined lips, the serene, almost introspective expression. Yet it is the magnificent wig that commands all attention: a cascade of meticulously incised strands, tiered and textured with astonishing precision, its upper band adorned with delicate geometric and lotus motifs.

His pleated garment and broad collar survive in faint, elegant lines, but these are merely supporting notes. The sculptor clearly intended the elaborate wig (perfumed, heavy, and ceremonial) to proclaim his status and refinement. Each lock falls in rhythmic curves, so finely cut that the hair seems almost to sway, as though caught in a passing breeze from three thousand years ago.

This fragment, believed to originate from a tomb in Saqqara, reminds us of the unrivalled craftsmanship of New Kingdom artisans, who could coax life, presence, and personality from the surface of limestone. Through the simplest of profiles and the most intricate of wigs, they created portraits that still captivate the modern eye, quiet echoes of lives long vanished, yet never truly forgotten.

Summary:

Relief of a Nobleman

New Kingdom, 19th–20th Dynasty, c. 1295–1069 B.C.

Possibly from Saqqara

Now at the Brooklyn Museum, 36.261