Trial pieces—carved on limestone flakes, or ostraca—and sculptors' models allow us to see how the ancient Egyptian artist approached his work. The four heads—a king, a shaven-headed priest, and two foreigners—on this large trial piece were doubtless practice sketches but nonetheless show the learner's keen eye for detail and for distinguishing different facial types. Others, such as the wild dog's head and the profile of a king in relief, are masterpieces in their own right, and were probably meant to be copied. The sculpture of a lion was left unfinished, which makes it even more intriguing; even in its roughed-out-state it is a majestic figure. The back of this piece is carved in the figure of a goddess.
Date
-305
Medium
Limestone
Dimensions
Overall: 8.3 x 6.5 x 1.4 cm (3 1/4 x 2 9/16 x 9/16 in.)
The person who associated a work with this deed has dedicated the work to the public domain by waiving all of their rights to the work worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law. You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.
http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.enCC0Creative Commons Zero, Public Domain Dedicationfalsefalse