Face of Amenhotep II

The faces on most statues of Amenhotep II differ slightly from those of his two immediate predecessors. Compared with the sculpture of Thutmose III or Hatshepsut exhibited nearby, for example, this statue’s face is a little longer, the eyes somewhat narrower, the brows a bit straighter, the nose slightly thicker, and the mouth less curved.

Each change is minute, but together they create a distinctive, recognizable image of Amenhotep II. This face is not a portrait, but an official image conceived by the chief royal sculptors to communicate the ideal physical appearance of Amenhotep II. The Egyptians believed that reality was momentary and thus, within the context of eternity, meaningless. Only an ideal representation would endure forever.

Red granite head of a king, probably Amenhotep II, from an over life-sized statue. Nemes headdress with uraeus. Conventionalized face with eyebrows in high relief; ceremonial beard without strap. Top of headdress and uraus left roughly finished. Only front half of head is preserved. Rear half of head lost. Chin chipped, only beginning of beard preserved.

Granite can naturally have this type of patterning. The mottled effect is due to the mineral make-up of granite, some of which is quartz, mica, and feldspar. It’s a very unique effect when it’s used in sculptures.

Archaeological provenance not yet documented; before 1943, acquired by Moïse Lévy de Benzion of Cairo, Egypt and Paris, France; March 20, 1947, sold in Cairo, Villa de Benzion sale; between 1947 and 1956, provenance not yet documented; before 1956, acquired by Frank J. Tano of New York, NY; January 1956

New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1426-1400 BC. Now in the Brooklyn Museum. 56.7