Plaster model head of a king, probably Amenophis' III.

Among the fully plastic plaster models of royal persons, which are all part of the so-called “status-close” casts due to the clearly existing crown approach, this face stands out from the other royal studies due to its completely different physiognomy. The full face is characterized by a high degree of symmetry. Not only the chubby cheeks and the strong, fleshy nose, the full mouth with the slightly raised lips as well as the round chin and the almost stocky, short and wide neck, but also the characteristically shaped eyes with the only indicated brow arches have already lead Borchardt to suspect an image of Amenophis' III. This assignment is very likely due to numerous parallels. The portrait head shows the king in an idealized study that avoids age characteristics. Therefore, it also seems plausible that a stone sculpture of Pharaoh had served as a model of casting. The recent computer tomography shows that the head was cast in a full shape, which was presumed by the excavators and roeders by the imprints of a wooden base plate on the neck. It is not yet possible to conclude whether this shape was made up of several matching individual pieces and could therefore even be used several times, which may be indicated by the seams visible on the side of the neck. The very fine vertical line, which runs over the forehead, nose, mouth and neck, can at least not come from a half shell shape, but possibly originated with a further deformation of this model. The multi-stage casting process with the slightly blasig-waved final filling was described elsewhere in this catalog. Should the assignment to Amenophis III be valid - and despite the fact that some of the king’s representations prove his worship in Amarna - the question arises as to what purpose the life-size model of Pharaoh fulfilled during the Amarna period in the sculptor’s workshop or whether it was simply not “disposed of” for personal reasons, but had been kept in the plaster workshops for a long time. From: Seyfried, F., in: F. Seyfried (eds), Im Licht von Amarna. 100 years of the Nofretene find, Berlin 2012, p. 322 (Cat. No. 111). Origin information: German Orient Society (DOG), client Borchardt, Ludwig (5.10.1863 - 12.8.1938), head of the excavation Amenophis (Amenhotep) III. Dating: Amenhotep III P 47.02 (Egypt/Middle Egypt/Amarna/P 47/P 47.01-03 (estate)) Room 19 donation James Simon, 1920 (Egyptian museum and collection of papyrus)