Bust from Statue of a King

Bust from Statue of a King

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Psamtik I, third king of Dynasty 26, called the Saite Dynasty after the town of Sais in the eastern Delta, was part of a group of local rulers who had fought against the Kushite Dynasty 25. The long face, detailed modeling of muscles around the mouth, and careful carving of the eyes are features transitional between the austere art of Dynasty 25 and the refined elegance that was to develop later in Dynasty 26. When complete, the statue probably represented the king kneeling.

Egyptian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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The Met collection of ancient Egyptian art consists of approximately 30,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from about 300,000 BCE to the 4th century CE. A signifcant percentage of the collection is derived from the Museum's three decades of archaeological work in Egypt, initiated in 1906 in response to increasing interest in the culture of ancient Egypt.