Head from a Statue with Magical Texts

myminifactory

Magical texts like those on the Metternich stela (50.85) probably blanketed all but the face, feet, and hands of the statue to which this fragment belonged. The statue would have stood in a temple where it could be visited by people seeking healing. Inscribed statues of this type can almost all be dated back to the fourth century. A man well-advanced in years is depicted, his skin smooth but marked with fine lines from long life and his small eyes and wide mouth still full of vitality. Realistic representations are known from late Dynasty 26 and probably continued through the Persian Period; however, little can be assigned to that era with absolute certainty. Thereafter they experienced continuous popularity all the way until the end of the Ptolemaic Period.