PTOLEMAIC PERIOD, CIRCA 332-30 B.C.

Delicately carved in fine-grained limestone, this frontal model of a Hathor head capital bears many lightly incised horizontal traces of the sculptor’s grid that guided its maker on the front and sides. The surface on the proper right side of the wig is noticeably more finished than the left side. The elongated eyebrows and eyes as well as the gentle smile display the hallmarks of early Ptolemaic royal sculpture. The wide flat break at the top of the head implies that this head was part of a composition depicting the typical naos form seen on Hathor head architectural capitals and sistra. Known as “the lady of faces” and especially associated with queens, Hathor is frequently represented with the ears of a cow, as here. For several related examples in Cairo, see pls. 87-89 in N. Tomoum, The Sculptors’ Models of the Late and Ptolemaic Periods.