Portrait Head of a Ptolemaic Queen

Collection Object

Portrait Head of a Ptolemaic Queen

Greek chisel, Egyptian queen. Carved when the Ptolemies ruled the Nile, this portrait blends two sculptural languages: the diadem and corkscrew curls of Alexandria with the serene frontality of pharaonic art.

She anchors our Egypt-and-the-World room, where shabtis share shelves with amphorae — proof the ancient Mediterranean was smaller, and busier, than we think.

• DatePtolemaic Period, c. 200–100 BCE
• MediumMarble
• On viewGallery Three · Egypt & the World