Cleveland Museum of Art

Inlay: Head of a King

Date: 380–246 BCE
Medium: red jasper
Culture: Egypt, Greco-Roman period (332 BCE–395 CE), Ptolemaic dynasty (305–30 BCE)
Department: Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art
Institution: Cleveland Museum of Art
Object ID: 142646

From the Cleveland Museum of Art record

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

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Provenance & credit

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Credit line: James Parmelee Fund
Provenance: Said to be from Edfu

Part of a LinkedCulture topic

Ancient Egyptian Glass Inlays
These objects are decorative glass and faience inlays from ancient Egypt, primarily from the Ptolemaic Dynasty and Roman Period, used for ornamentation in jewelry, architecture, and other decorative applications.
12 objects from 3 institutions