An Altered Royal Head of the Twenty-Sixth Dynasty 2

Abstract

Publication of a late Saite head that clearly shows alteration from a royal to a private representation. It appears to be one of a group that can be attributed to Amasis, the fifth king of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty. Of particular interest is Walters Art Gallery no. 22.415, which had previously been considered Ptolemaic, and is of this group. The distinctive realism shown tends to disprove the widely held opinion that it was not until the Persian domination that idealism was replaced by a more naturalistic form. The usurpation by a private person of a royal portrait may offer an additional insight into the political situation at a time of transition to foreign rule.