Inlay: Head of a King

380–246 BCE
Overall: 4.4 x 3.2 x 1.8 cm (1 3/4 x 1 1/4 x 11/16 in.)
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Location: 107 Egyptian

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Did You Know?

Most Egyptian inlays are made of glass or faience, a type of ceramic, not precious or semiprecious stone like jasper.

Description

This miniature carved stone profile depicts a left-facing Egyptian king. The inlay was once part of a larger scene, with a cutaway on the king’s head clearly leaving room for an Egyptian crown and the neckline for a traditional broad collar. It is skillfully carved and made from red jasper, a semiprecious stone. The naturalistic handling of the cheeks and mouth date this inlay to the Ptolemaic period. An inlay such as this would have been set into a chest, throne, or even a royal coffin.
Inlay:  Head of a King

Inlay: Head of a King

380–246 BCE

Egypt, Greco-Roman period (332 BCE–395 CE), Ptolemaic dynasty (305–30 BCE)

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