Reserve head

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Reserve head of a female, from Giza, tomb G 4540A. Now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Reserve head of a female, from Giza, tomb G 4540A. Now in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Reserve heads are distinctive sculptures made primarily of fine limestone that have been found in a number of non-royal tombs of the Fourth dynasty of Egypt; primarily from the the reigns of pyramid-building pharaohs Khufu to Khafre, circa 2551-2496 B.C.[1] While each of the heads share characteristics in common with each other (and some examples may be more caricature than reflecting a true-life appearance), the striking individuality of the pieces makes them some of the earliest examples of portrait sculpture in existence. Their purpose is not entirely clear; the name comes from the prevalent theory first put forward, in 1903, by the German Egyptologist Ludwig Borchardt that the head was to serve as an alternate home for the spirit of the dead owner should anything happen to its body.[2]

Contents

[edit] History

While a couple of examples were made of ground mud from the banks of the Nile, the majority of the heads were made of a fine, white limestone. Although there are a few exceptions that are more crudely carved and heavily plastered, most are intricately carved and have been carefully smoothed. The smooth ones have not, however, been polished. They all depict people with shaved heads or close-cropped hair, and the largest examples are just over 30 cm in height.[3]

The first reserve head was discovered in 1894, in Dashur, by the Director General of the French Service of Antiquities in Egypt, Jacques Jean-Marie de Morgan. The majority of the heads were discovered by the American Egyptologist George Andrew Reisner, who excavated a number of mastaba tombs to the west of the Great Pyramid of Giza.[4]

[edit] Place within Ancient Egyptian art

Unlike other sculptures from Ancient Egypt, these heads were never intended as part of a larger sculpture; they were stand-alone pieces done in the round, with a flat surface at the base of the neck suggesting that they were intended to stand upright. Most were found in the burial pits outside of the burial chamber of the tomb itself, but it is considered likely that they were simply dumped in these places by tomb robbers. No evidence of these sculptures have come from the above-ground offering temples, and a single instance of a reserve head had been found undisturbed in a tomb that had not been robbed.[5] In that case, it was found beside the sarcophagus of the tomb's occupant. It is generally assumed that all reserve heads were originally in similar positions in their respective tombs.

In most cases, intentional damage had been inflicted on the reserve heads; typically the ears have been chiseled away while others display a gouging groove at the back of the head. Speculation as to the reason for this deliberate damage range from it being a symbolic measure designed to magically immobilize the head to the idea that they are score marks made while removing a funerary mask that had been modeled on the reserve head.

[edit] Current locations of reserve heads

About 30 reserve heads have been discovered, including examples which can now be found at the following museums:

[edit] Gallery of images

Reserve head of a male official, from Giza, tomb G 4440. Made of limestone, and dating to the 4th dynasty, circa 2630-2524 B.C.. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Museum Expedition 14.718.

Reserve head of Nofer, from Giza, tomb G 2110A. Frontal view. Made of limestone, and dating to the 4th dynasty, circa 2630-2524 B.C. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Museum Expedition 06.1886.

Profile of the reserve head of Nofer, tomb G 2110A.

Reserve head of an official, frontal view, from Giza, tomb G 4940B. Made of limestone, and dating to the 4th dynasty, circa 2630-2524 B.C.. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Museum Expedition 21.329.

Profile of the reserve head from tomb G 4940B.

Reserve head of a lady (though more recent opinion suggests that this is a male), frontal view, from Giza, tomb G 4440. Made of limestone, and dating to the 4th dynasty, circa 2630-2524 B.C.. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Museum Expedition 14.719.

Partial profile of the "head of a lady" from tomb G 4440.

Reserve head of a female, profile view, from Giza, tomb G 4540A. Made of limestone, and dating to the 4th dynasty, circa 2630-2524 B.C. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Museum Expedition 21.328.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Berman, Lawrence, Freed, Rita E., and Doxey, Denise. Arts of Ancient Egypt. Museum of Fine Arts Boston. 2003. p. 75. ISBN 0878466614.
  2. ^ Berman, Lawrence, Freed, Rita E., and Doxey, Denise. Arts of Ancient Egypt. Museum of Fine Arts Boston. 2003. p. 75. ISBN 0878466614.
  3. ^ Roehrig, Catherine H. "Reserve Heads: An Enigma of Old Kingdom Sculpture", from Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids. Yale University Press. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1999. p. 73. ISBN 0-87099-907-9.
  4. ^ Roehrig, Catherine H. "Reserve Heads: An Enigma of Old Kingdom Sculpture", from Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids. Yale University Press. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1999. p. 73. ISBN 0-87099-907-9.
  5. ^ Roehrig, Catherine H. "Reserve Heads: An Enigma of Old Kingdom Sculpture", from Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids. Yale University Press. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1999. pp. 74-75. ISBN 0-87099-907-9.

[edit] Further reading

  • Lacovara, Peter. "The Riddle of the Reserve Heads" KMT. 8/4, 1998.

[edit] External links

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