Amun-Re was one of the most important gods in ancient Egyptian religion. In the New Kingdom, Amun, meaning “the hidden one,” was linked with the sun god, Re, to become the universal god Amun-Re. The god wears his distinctive crown composed of a modius, topped by a sun disk and two tall feathers. His eyes are inlaid with black obsidian and probably shell. This head was part of a larger unfinished statue of the god, indicated by the remains of a tall back pillar. The statue was once gilded. The surface on the neck, shoulders, and sides of the back pillar was left intentionally rough to help the gold leaf adhere to the stone. The wide-open inlaid eyes are characteristic of late Ptolemaic sculpture.1
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Cf. Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli inv. 984; Cantilena, R., and P. Rubino. 1989. La Collezione Egiziana del Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli. Naples: Soprintendenza archeologica per le Province di Napoli e Caserta., with n. 4.3. ↩︎
Bibliography
- Cantilena and Rubino 1989
- Cantilena, R., and P. Rubino. 1989. La Collezione Egiziana del Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli. Naples: Soprintendenza archeologica per le Province di Napoli e Caserta.