Egyptian sculpture

PTOLEMAIC 177

at the corner going steeply up under the eyebrow. The Greek influence has, however, forced the Ptolemaic sculptor to represent the ears as being fairly flat against the head; in spite of the head-dress they do not stand out almost at right angles, as in the case of the late Middle Kingdom and of the New Kingdom.

STATUES

The Ptolemaic artist, however, excelled most in the portrait heads for mummy-cases (Pl. LI. 1). These were laid on the mummy and took the place of the wooden anthropoid ! coffins of an earlier period; many of them are portraits in the best sense of the word. There is in them no convention, no adherence to a canon, but they are clearly portraits taken from life. Many examples occur in museums and can be studied there. The eyes are often inserted in the usual way of the Egyptian sculptor, but as often they are painted. The anatomy of these heads shows a considerable degree of artistic ability, and they are in many ways greatly superior to the more formal statues of the period.

The upper part of the statue of Ptolemy Auletes (Pl. LI. 2), now in the British Museum, is of basalt. Here the artist has aimed at a likeness and has probably succeeded. The long, narrow eye and the upward curve of the mouth give a character to the face which is probably intentional. The eye, however, is set too far forward, as can be seen by following the outline of the farther eye in the photograph. The rounded forms of the fat full face are characteristic of the period; the ear is, as usual, too large, but does not stand out as in the New Kingdom statues. The head-dress consists of the nemes-cloth, which has no lines across the head, but has horizontal lines on

the lappets. The uraeus, which is damaged, has two coils 14