1000 Portraits of Genius. Victoria Charles
fraction of what once existed. The sculpture we have is very largely made up of Roman copies and adaptations of famous earlier works.
12. King Menkaura (Mycerinus) and Queen, Giza, Egyptian, Old Kingdom, 4th Dynasty, reign of Menkaura (2490–2472 B.C.E.). Greywacke, 142.2 × 57.1 × 55.2 cm. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
13. Head of a King (Sargon of Akkad?), Nineveh, Mesopotamian, Akkadian period, c. 2300 B.C.E. Bronze, height: 30.5 cm. Iraq Museum, Baghdad. A masterpiece of Mesopotamian art, this bronze sculpture was discovered in Nineveh, an ancient city in what is now known as Iraq, in the middle of the Temple of Ishtar, the goddess of love and war. Around 2300 B.C.E., the Akkadian empire completely dominated Mesopotamia. Unlike the Sumerians who lived in the south, the Akkadian society consisted of the people from the northern ancient Babylonian civilization. Art historians believe that this mask represents the founder of this empire, Sargon, or possibly his grandson, Naram Sîn. Sargon was a mighty conqueror with excellent strategy who originated from the first unified state in Asia, which allowed him to conquer the other city states of the same region and expand his empire over the Near East. Abandoned at birth, Sargon, according to legend, had a childhood reminiscent of that of Moses and other great founding fathers such as Romulus and Remus. Even if his grandson left a slightly negative image of his forbearer, they are both still considered, however, as major figures in Mesopotamian history.
14. Fragmentary Feminine Statuette, called Woman with a Scarf, Princess from the epoch of Gudea, Prince of Lagash, Tello, former Girsu, Neo-Sumerian, c. 2120 B.C.E. Chlorite, 17.8 × 11 × 6.7 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
15. Statue of the King Ishtup-Ilum, Temple 65, Palace of Zimrilim, Mari, Mesopotamian, early Isin period, c. 1800–1700 B.C.E. Diorite, height: 152 cm. National Archaeological Museum, Aleppo.
16. Head of a God, Tello, former Girsu, Iraq, early 2nd millennium B.C.E. Hand-modelled terracotta, 10.8 × 6.4 × 5.7 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
17. Royal Head, known as the Head of Hammurabi, Shush, former Susa, Iran, Mesopotamian, early 2nd millennium B.C.E. Diorite, 9.7 × 15.2 × 11 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
18. Princess from Akhenaten’s Family, Egyptian, New Kingdom, 1379–1362 B.C.E. Painted limestone, 15.4 × 10.1 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris.
19. Statue of Idrimi, King of Alalakh, Tell Atchana, former Alalakh, Syrian, 16th century B.C.E. White stone, eyebrows and eyelids originally inlaid, epigraphy, height: 104 cm. British Museum, London.
20. Head of a Women, Egyptian, Middle Empire, 12th Dynasty, reign of Amenemhat I (1991–1962 B.C.E.). Painted wood with gold leaves, height: 10.5 cm. The Egyptian National Museum, Cairo.
21. Head from a statue of Amenhotep III, from Thebes, mortuary temple of Amenhotep III, Egyptian, New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, reign of Amenhotep III (c. 1390–1352 B.C.E.), c. 1350 B.C.E. Quartzite, height: 117 × 81 × 66 cm. The British Museum, London.
This sculpture is part of one of the largest statues in the Thebes funerary temple of Amenhotep after the nearby Colossi of Memnon. The head was originally part of a full length statue of Amenhotep that was placed between two pillars on the west side of the temple court. The height of the statue in its full form was about 7.5–8 meters high and was found during the excavations that took place in 1964. It is likely that in this representation of Amenhotep he held both the crook and the flail – the symbols of Egyptian kingship. He is shown wearing the red crown and is made from a special brown quartzite, both attributes coming from Lower Egypt. The artist most likely used this type of stone for its polished qualities that make certain features stand out. The eyes are more polished than around the lines of the mouth while the beard and the eyebrows remain completely unpolished, which in turn makes them stand out from the face.
22. Bronze statuette of Thutmose IV, Egyptian, New Kingdom 18th Dynasty, c. 1350 B.C.E. Bronze, height: 14.7 cm. The British Museum, London.
23. Bust of the Queen Nefertiti, Egyptian, New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, Amarna period, c. 1340 B.C.E. Painted limestone, 47 cm. Neues Museum, Berlin.
Nefertiti is one of the most famous Egyptian queens in world history, partially because of this well-known representation of her. Sculpted in Tell el-Amarna, in the official sculptor to Akhenaton’s studio – where Nefertiti was the royal wife – this bust epitomizes the beauty of its model. The finesse of the representation, the brilliance of its colours and the delicacy of the royal facial features make this sculpture one of the most important masterpieces of Ancient Egypt. During her life, the queen, who retained a major political role beside her husband, was already famous for her remarkable beauty. In fact, the name Nefertiti, in Egyptian, means “the beautiful one has come.” Next to the pharaoh, Nefertiti exercised notable influence on the different cultural and religious changes initiated by her husband, especially concerning the abolition of the cult of Amon and the accession of Aton. Always loyal to the sun god, even after the disappearance of Akhenaton, Nefertiti died at the age of thirty five after retiring from her public life. Along with Nefertiti’s uncertain origins, her grave remains one of the great mysteries of Egyptology. It is probable that at her death, her body was next to that of Akhenaton in Tell el-Amarna. However, remains of her body have yet to be found. Perhaps their bodies were desecrated like the numerous relics from the Amarnian period or they were possibly transferred to Thebes when the city of the heretical pharaoh was abandoned.
24. Akhenaten, Temple of Aton, Karnak, Egyptian, New Kingdom, 18th dynasty, Amarna period, 1353–1335 B.C.E. Sandstone, height: 396 cm. The Egyptian National Museum, Cairo.
25. Head of Tutankhamun on top of a Lotus Flower, Egyptian, New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, Amarna period, reign of Tutankhamun (1333–1323 B.C.E.). Painted wood stucco, height: 30 cm. The Egyptian National Museum, Cairo.
26. Fragmentary Statue of the Queen Tiye, Medinet el-Gurab, Fayoum, Egyptian, c. 1355 B.C.E. Yew, ivory, silver, gold, lapis lazuli, clay and wax. Altes Museum, Berlin.
27. Panel from the back of Tutankhamun’s golden throne (detail), Egyptian, New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, Amarna style, reign of Tutankhamun (1333–1323 B.C.E.), c. 1323 B.C.E. Wood, carnelian, glass, faience, silver, gold, stucco. The Egyptian National Museum, Cairo.
28. Statue of the Ka of Tutankhamun, Egyptian, New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, reign of Tutankhamun (1333–1323 B.C.E), c. 1323 B.C.E. Wood, painted stucco, gold, bronze and gilded bronze, 192 × 53.5 cm. The Egyptian National Museum, Cairo.
29. Funerary Mask of Tutankhamun, Egyptian, New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, reign of Tutankhamun (c.1333–1323 B.C.E.), c. 1323 B.C.E. Gold, lapis lazuli, carnelian, quartz, obsidian, turquoise, glass paste,54 × 39.3 cm, weight: 11kg. The Egyptian National Museum, Cairo.
The funerary mask of the Egyptian pharaoh, Tutankhamen, is made of solid gold that has been both beaten and burnished. It was made to cover the mummy of the pharaoh after he died and is an approximation of the physical appearance of the king, notably the narrow eyes, fleshy lips and the shape of his chin which are all in accordance with his mummy though the image in its entirety is most likely, to an extent, idealized. The stripes of the nemes on the headdress and the false inlaid