Egyptian sculpture

184 EGYPTIAN SCULPTURE

emphasised by the Ptolemaic artist. The forward arm of each goddess is not articulated to the shoulder; and I have already called attention to the mistake as to the hands. The crowns of the goddesses are poised on the tops of their heads; the shapes of the crowns should be compared with the white crown worn by Narmer, and the red crown worn by the » Running Senusert (Pl. XX. 2). The inscriptions of cramped little hieroglyphs, crowded together, are also characteristic of the period; there is not one generous curve throughout the signs, and the vertical lines between the columns are not straight nor of an even width. :

The celebrated relief of Cleopatra ‘the Great (Pl. LI. 3) as the goddess Isis is from the temple of Denderah. It has the characteristics of the period, but the artist has obviously attempted to make a likeness, for the face should be compared with that of Ptolemy Auletes (Pl. LI. 2), when the likeness between father and daughter can be remarked. The style accentuates all the faults of the figure, as is common at this priod. The arms and body have no modelling whatsoever, the surface is merely rounded to the outline; the face, however, has received more attention, the long, narrow eye is unusually well represented, the delicate aquiline nose, the upward curving mouth, so like that of Auletes, and the rounded chin, make up an ensemble which, though not beautiful, is interesting. The head-dress represents the vulture, whose head stands out above the forehead of the queen, and the wings spread down on each side of the head beyond the ear. The lady’s hair is elaborately dressed in short curls; the upper part of the head-dress shows the uraeus-crown, from which rise the horns and disk of Isis, surmounted by the hieroglyph of the name of the goddess. The detail, though elaborate, is coarsely worked, and the general effect of the figure is barbaric.