Egyptian sculpture

56 EGYPTIAN SCULPTURE

actual head-dress consisted of a cloth bound firmly round the forehead. At the top of the head two ends of the stiff material are folded down and brought on each side of the face behind the ears, spreading outwards to a point, then cut as a curve to fall over the shoulders; at the back, the ends of the cloth are bound with a strip of material to form a kind of pigtail. There is a band across the forehead to which the head-dress was apparently sewn; it covers the hair entirely, and from it rises the uraeus, which lies flat against the head. The uraeus is hardly ever found before the [Vth dynasty, and in early statues it lies flat and does not stand out as in the later periods. The angle of the head-dress above the ears, the method of representing the fold of stiff linen, the length and width of the lappets, should be compared with the same form of head-dress worn by Zoser and by the Pharaohs of the Middle and New Kingdoms. The beard appears to be actually growing, for there is no indication of any strap. The sculptor has represented a man of great muscular strength; and though the detail of the anatomy is never obtruded, the accuracy of the forms is incontestable. The whole figure gives an impression of dignity and repose, and is in keeping with the calm beauty of the face. The only detailed work is in the pleated loin-cloth, the head-dress, and the throne. The throne appears to be a copy in stone of an original in wood; the sides are in the form of lions, whose legs form the legs of the chair; the heads are in the front, one on each side—the form and style of these heads are important for dating purposes; the front paws of the lions rest on stands, a convention which began in the Ist dynasty. Except in the heads and paws, there is no modelling; the legs and narrow body are quite flat, with incised detail. At the side of the throne, between the front and hind legs of the lion, is the hieroglyphic sign of union, round which are looped the