The Nineteenth Dynasty was both the time of Egypt’s greatest triumph and the beginning of the end. It contained the reign of Ramses II, perhaps the most exceptional of all the Pharaohs. He ruled for around 60 years, fighting numerous successful military campaigns, and conducting one of the most extensive building programmes in Egyptian history. He sired well over 100 children, had a comparable number of wives, and outlived nearly all of them. When he died at the age of around 90, Egypt’s reach had never been greater. However, this caused problems for the rest of his Dynasty. His long-suffering children competed for the throne, meaning his nominated successor, Merenptah, was never as secure as he might have been. By the time of Merenptah’s death, the infighting was seriously affecting the stability of the Dynasty. Seti II, Merenptah’s son, initially succeeded, but Amenmesse usurped the throne; on Amenmesse’s untimely death, Seti II regained control. After the short and inglorious reign of Siptah, Egypt again installed a female Pharaoh, Twosret. She proved unable to hold on to power, and after two years, the Nineteenth Dynasty had been extinguished.

This exceptional portrait depicts a Pharaoh with plump round cheeks, a straight, elegant nose, thick lips drawn into a soft smile, and a narrow chin. His almond-shaped eyes are narrow, and outlined in kohl. His eyebrows are slender, and arch only slightly. His eyes are slightly downturning, and this indicates a Pharaoh of perhaps the late Eighteenth Dynasty, with candidates including Amenhotep III. However, the plumpness of the cheeks and the narrowness of the chin more likely suggest a king of the Nineteenth Dynasty; a comparable portrait of either Amenmesse or Seti II can be found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (34.2.2). He wears the Blue Crown, khepresh, a symbol to the world of the Pharaoh’s military prowess. Essentially a helmet, it was favoured by New Kingdom Pharaohs for its practicality, as well as its martial associations. It consists of a tall round helmet kept off the crown of the head, with a ridge at the rear, extending from behind the ears. At the front is a gold band, above which is the uraeus, the spitting cobra avatar of the goddess Wedjat, who defended Pharaoh from his enemies. The cobra’s tail is coiled around, and then reaches up the full length of the crown.

Obsidian does not occur naturally in Egypt. In fact, the nearest sources are in Ethiopia and the Aegean. Obsidian comes in two types, depending on where the glass cools in the lava stream. At the edge of the stream, it cools quicker, forming a shiny smooth effect which shatters easily. Towards the centre of the lava flow, the obsidian is of a more milky, opaque quality, due to the much slower period of cooling. This sculpture is carved from the latter. For the Egyptians, obsidian was a highly treasured material, usually used for highlights on statues or jewellery of other materials. For example, the pupils of the Gold Mask of Tutankhamun (Egyptian Museum JE 60672) are given their lustrous effect by careful use of obsidian. Large sculptures in obsidian are much rarer. The only example of a comparable size in major museum collections is a head of Senusret III, standing 12 cm high, which is in the collection of the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum (inv. 138).

References: a similar portrait, of Amenmesse or Seti II, is in New York (Metropolitan Museum of Art 34.2.2).