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Portrait head of a late Ptolemaic ruler (Ptolemy IX?)
Greek, Ptolemaic
Hellenistic Period
Late 2nd–early 1st century B.C.
Medium/Technique
Marble, probably from Paros, with added stucco
Dimensions
Overall: 64 x 28 x 26 cm (25 3/16 x 11 x 10 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Edwin L. Jack Fund
Accession Number59.51
NOT ON VIEW
CollectionsAncient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsSculpture
The fleshy face, bulging brow, and large, somewhat hooked nose of this colossal marble portrait, said to have come from Memphis in Egypt, are features typical of Ptolemy VIII, sometimes called physkon ("pot belly" in Greek), and his sons, Ptolemies IX and X, Hellenistic kings of Egypt in the second and early first centuries B.C. Most scholars agree that the head bears the closest resemblance to Ptolemy IX (reigned 116-107 and 88-80 B.C.) and must once have rested atop an immense statue of that king.
The head is virtually unique among surviving ancient sculpture because of the extensive preservation of added stucco, used here mainly to fashion the hair and beard but also, more unusually, to reshape the end of the nose. In this case, the stucco was added at a later date, when the head was cut down from a slightly larger portrait; the stucco allowed the sculptor to alter the appearance of the head more dramatically than by merely recarving the stone. Such reworking was an economical way of recycling high-quality stone, avoiding the costly process of obtaining a freshly quarried block. At the same time, the transformation of one person's image into that of another often held ideological significance, symbolically erasing the memory of a detested figure and replacing it with a more genial likeness. This portrait of Ptolemy IX was probably recarved from one representing either his father, Ptolemy VIII, with whom he had a troubled relationship, or his brother, Ptolemy X, who usurped the throne from him for a period of nearly twenty years.
The head is virtually unique among surviving ancient sculpture because of the extensive preservation of added stucco, used here mainly to fashion the hair and beard but also, more unusually, to reshape the end of the nose. In this case, the stucco was added at a later date, when the head was cut down from a slightly larger portrait; the stucco allowed the sculptor to alter the appearance of the head more dramatically than by merely recarving the stone. Such reworking was an economical way of recycling high-quality stone, avoiding the costly process of obtaining a freshly quarried block. At the same time, the transformation of one person's image into that of another often held ideological significance, symbolically erasing the memory of a detested figure and replacing it with a more genial likeness. This portrait of Ptolemy IX was probably recarved from one representing either his father, Ptolemy VIII, with whom he had a troubled relationship, or his brother, Ptolemy X, who usurped the throne from him for a period of nearly twenty years.
Catalogue Raisonné
Sculpture in Stone (MFA), no. 131; Sculpture in Stone and Bronze (MFA), p. 110 (additional published references); Highlights: Classical Art (MFA), p. 171.
DescriptionThe three times life-sized head, found at Memphis in what appears to have been a temple or shrine of the Hellenistic and Roman periods, was carved in Greek marble, with hair, the tip of the nose, and beard finished in stucco. Reddish ground color remains in the pupils of the eyes and on the lips. There are traces of stucco on the neck and possible touches of gold on the stucco in the hair. The marble surface below the beard was smoothed and polished, then scarred by diagonal incisions to hold the stucco, suggesting the portrait did not originally have a beard. The complete statue must have been about twelve feet high if seated, and well over fifteen feet if standing. The head comprises only a marble mask and neck, the area behind being hollowed out.
With its large eyes, long face and aquiline nose, this is a powerful and unforgettable image of a semi-divine king. It continues, while altering and exaggerating, the tradition of late third century Ptolemaic portraiture. The head was converted from a slightly earlier, beardless image. It was cut down at the sides of the neck, and a beard and new hairline were created with stucco. Most scholars agree that the head bears closest resemblance to Ptolemy IX (reigned 116–107 and 88–80).
The head was broken across the forehead into three pieces or very bad cracks, which have been rejoined and filled in.
Marble, probably from the Greek island of Paros, retouched with stucco
(J. B. Ward-Perkins: Parian marble, similar to that of Hadrian from Athribis)
With its large eyes, long face and aquiline nose, this is a powerful and unforgettable image of a semi-divine king. It continues, while altering and exaggerating, the tradition of late third century Ptolemaic portraiture. The head was converted from a slightly earlier, beardless image. It was cut down at the sides of the neck, and a beard and new hairline were created with stucco. Most scholars agree that the head bears closest resemblance to Ptolemy IX (reigned 116–107 and 88–80).
The head was broken across the forehead into three pieces or very bad cracks, which have been rejoined and filled in.
Marble, probably from the Greek island of Paros, retouched with stucco
(J. B. Ward-Perkins: Parian marble, similar to that of Hadrian from Athribis)
ProvenanceBy date unknown: in a private collection in Cairo where it was seen by Bernard Bothmer in 1955; by November 1958: with Münzen und Medaillen A.G., Malzgasse 25, Basel, Switzerland (Münzen und Medaillen A.G. auction 18, Kunsthalle, Steinenberg 7, Basel, November 29, 1958, lot 14: said to come from Memphis in Egypt); purchased by MFA from Münzen und Medaillen A.G., February 12, 1959, for $ 3,390.00