Gypsum head of a man

This expressive plaster cast shows the portrait study of a man who was often associated with Eje, later Pharaoh in the literature. However, this assignment is purely speculative and is not based on resilient foundations, as the small royal head used as a comparison in the Egyptian Museum Cairo (JE 37930) also does not allow for any name identification. The study, which is modeled up to the neck part in all details, was made without ears and has a smooth, backward surface. The small bead on the right above the high forehead comes from the plaster material slightly overturned from the shape. A closer look at the surface of this casting allows us to make some astonishing observations, which are briefly summarized here: The very symmetrical construction of the face and the amazingly smooth surface of the plaster compared to many other casts, have already lead Günther Roeder and other scientists to suspect a “statuenBei” casting in this study. This would mean that an existing sculpture served as a “positive template” for the shape of this casting. Notwithstanding the question of the presentation, it should be noted that the casting obtained obviously required further revision, the traces of which have not only been preserved in red painting, but can also be seen in fine escorts of the crow’s feet on the left eye. On the other hand, the fine furrows on the upper limbs and the parallel curved foreheads come from the template. The recessed eye caves must also have been present on the positive template and were probably filled on the finished casting, whereby this step was not completed, since there are still some red color traces on the roughly nested plaster. The strong, red brush strokes on the upper lip also mark desired revisions. The fine, vertical notch, which runs slightly offset from the center of the face to the forehead to the middle of the back of the nose, was often interpreted as a casting seam. F. Reither, however, pointed out that this seam does not come from the adjustment of two molded shells, but originated in the decrease of a reapplied clay shape when it was replaced with a knife from the existing casting. It can therefore be assumed that this casting was only used as an intermediate step for obtaining an even more precise facial study. From: Seyfried, F., in: F. Seyfried (eds), Im Licht von Amarna. 100 years of the Nofretene find, Berlin 2012, p. 312 (Cat. No. 96). Origin information: German Orient Society (DOG), client Borchardt, Ludwig (5.10.1863 - 12.8.1938), head of the excavation Amenophis (Amenhotep) IV/Akhenaten Dating: Amenhotep IV/Akhenaten 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)