Fragmentary Statuette of a Vizier

myminifactory

This sculpture embodies a vizier, an administrator with authority over half the realm. A cord encircles his neck, its ends secured by a sliding cartouche-shaped clasp visible from behind. The vizier's seal dangled from this cord but was usually hidden beneath the upper hem of his wrapped garments. Inscriptions on adjacent columns praise the "lovely light" and the "single sun of the one who lives seeing him," phrases that unmistakably convey the Amarna faith as clearly as the subtle modeling of the body, while the natural curves of the arms reflect the period's artistic sensibilities. New Kingdom, Dynasty 18