Bust of an Egyptian Pharoah (king)

This Pharaoh bears the weight of the world. He is shown as old and wise, with heavily pouched eyes, and an unsmiling mouth. He wears a pleated headcloth adorned with a cobra, both symbols of royal power. This head was part of a lifesized statue that showed the king striding forward. It probably stood in the temple of the supreme god Amun-Ra in Karnak. An inscription, now lost, would have given us the Pharaoh’s name.