Head of Tutankhamun

Ancient Egyptian This indurated limestone fragment once belonged to a larger statue group showing the young pharaoh standing before a god. All that remains of the deity is a right hand touching the back of Tutankhamun's crown, a gesture signifying divine investiture of kingship. The king wears the khepresh, commonly called the "blue crown," likely a leather helmet with metal disks sewn onto it.

The sculpture dates to ca. 1336-1327 BCE, during Dynasty 18's post-Amarna period. It blends the naturalism of Akhenaten's artistic revolution with more traditional Egyptian conventions. Tutankhamun's figure was considerably smaller than the god's, following the standard Egyptian practice of hierarchical scaling.

It's on view in Gallery 121 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, acquired through the Rogers Fund in 1950.