Fragmentary Statuette of Ramesses II

Artist Unidentified

Period New Kingdom Period (Ancient Egyptian, 1550–1070 BCE)

Dynasty Dynasty 18 (Ancient Egyptian, 1550–1295 BCE)

Place of OriginEgypt

Date13th century BCE

Dimensions12 7/8 × 7 1/2 × 5 1/2 in. (32.7 × 19.1 × 14 cm)

Mediumgranodiorite

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1906.227

On View

Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 02, Classic

DescriptionThis granodiorite fragment preserves the head and part of the upper torso of a kneeling pharaoh. The king wears the nemes headdress—striped and folded linen fabric once reserved for royalty—topped by a scarab beetle, a divine emblem of Khepri, the rising sun. The face is round and youthful, and traces of a now-broken false beard are visible. A shallow incised inscription survives on the back pillar, naming the pharaoh as Ramesses II with part of his Horus name: “The Horus lives, Mighty Bull, beloved of Ma’at.” The surface is uneven, and the carving of the glyphs is coarse, suggesting reworking or usurpation.

Label TextThis statue fragment shows a kneeling Egyptian king with a royal nemes headdress, topped by a scarab beetle symbolizing the sun god Khepri and rebirth. The round, youthful face resembles images of Tutankhamun (reigned 1333–1323 BCE), but an inscription on the back names Ramesses II (reigned 1290–1223 BCE). It reads: “The Horus lives, Mighty Bull, beloved of Ma’at,” one of Ramesses’ royal titles. The coarse and uneven carving suggests the name may have been added later. Reuse of earlier kings’ monuments was a common political tool in ancient Egypt.Published ReferencesLuckner, Kurt T., "The art of Eygpt, Part 2," Toledo Museum of Art Museum News, new series, vol. 14, no. 3, Fall 1971, p. 67, repr. fig. 8.

Málek, Jaromír, Diana Magee, and Elizabeth Miles, Topographical Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts, Statues, Reliefs and Paintings. VIII. Objects of Provenance Not Known. Part 1. Royal Statues. Private Statues (Predynastic to Dynasty XVII), Oxford, Griffith Institute, 1999, p. 79, no. 800-710-650.

Minas, Martina, “Käfer krönen Köpfe. Zum Skarabäus in der Plastik des Neuen Reiches,” in: Mamdouh Eldamaty and Mai Trad (eds.), Egyptian Museum Collections Around the World: Studies for the Centennial of the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, vol. 2, Cairo, Supreme Council of Antiquities and American University Press in Cairo Press, 2002, pp. 811–823. Minas-Nerpel, Martina, “Ein bislang unbekannter käferbekrönter Königskopf der Spät- oder Ptolemäerzeit,” Bulletin of the Egyptian Museum, vol. 2, 2005, pp. 97–102. Peck, William H., Sandra E. Knudsen and Paula Reich, Egypt in Toledo: The Ancient Egyptian Collection at the Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Toledo Museum of Art, 2011, p. 64, repr. (col.) p. 65, (det.) p. 64.

Exhibition HistoryToledo Museum of Art, Collection of Egyptian Antiquities, brought together and presented to the Museum by Mr. Edward Drummond Libbey, 1906, no. 227.

"Hands on Eygpt," TMA interactive family gallery, Gallery 3, Sept. 18, 1988 - Aug. 31, 2000, made possible by a grant from the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund.