Bust of Prince Ankhhaf

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In ancient Egypt, master artists rarely crafted realistic portraits, making this bust of Ankhhaf a groundbreaking exception. The limestone core is covered with a thin layer of plaster, into which meticulous details have been skillfully modeled by the artist's hand. Rather than a stylized representation, the face is that of an individual person. From inscriptions in his tomb, we know that Ankhhaf was the son of a king, likely Sneferu, and brother of another king, Khufu, serving as vizier and overseer of works under King Khafre. In this capacity, he may have overseen the construction of the second pyramid and carving of the great sphinx. Ankhhaf's features are those of a mature man with a receding hairline on his skull. His eyelids droop slightly over eyes that were originally painted white with brown pupils. Puffy pouches are rendered underneath, while diagonal furrows set off a stern mouth. Apparently, he once had a short beard made from a separate piece of plaster, but it was lost in antiquity along with his ears. His gaze is that of a commanding and willful man, someone accustomed to having his orders obeyed. It was the way he wanted to be remembered for eternity. Ankhhaf's mastaba was the largest in the great Eastern Cemetery at Giza. His bust was installed in a mudbrick chapel attached to the east side of the tomb and oriented so that it faced the entrance. The chapel walls were covered in exquisitely modeled low relief. It has been suggested that Ankhhaf's arms were sculpted on the pedestal, making him appear even more lifelike. Passersby left over ninety models of food and drink for Ankhhaf to enjoy in the afterlife. Ankhhaf is a unique discovery, and according to the Museum's contract with the Egyptian government, he should have gone to the Cairo Museum. However, he was awarded to Boston by the Antiquities Service as a token of gratitude for the Harvard-Boston Expedition's meticulous work to excavate and restore objects from Queen Hetepheres' tomb. Provenance: This artifact originated in Giza, specifically from tomb G 7510. In 1925, it was excavated by the Harvard University-Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition. Two years later, it was assigned to the MFA in the division of finds by the government of Egypt on July 7, 1927. Photography and photogrammetry were conducted by Zhejiang University.