Egypt (Behbeit el-Hagar) Ptolemaic Dynasty, reign of Ptolemy II 284-246 B.C.E.
Granite, Height x width x length: 82 x 90 x 13 cm (32 5/16 x 35 7/16 x 5 1/8 in.)
Egypt Exploration Fund by subscription 1901, MFA #51.739
Photos © Joan Ann Lansberry
"A great temple of Isis was begun by the last of Egypt's native pharoahs, Nectanebo II, in the central Nile Delta and was completed by the early Ptolemies, who copied the pharaonic style. Although today reduced to a field of ruins, enough of the temple remains to show that it was a magnificent and luxurious structure, built entirely of granite. The hard stone was carved with virtuoso skill to create various effects. Notice that the bare-chested figure of Amen is rounded and fleshy, while the mummiform Ptah-Sokar-Osiris in his shroud is much flatter." (From info card)
Even though Ptah-Sokar-Osiris is flatter, the "subtle undulations of the surface suggest[s] the figure beneath the shrouded form. The cherubic facial features of both deities closely resemble Nectanebo's, yet experts agree that they represent the second Ptolemy." (From museum website)
