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JOHN D. COONEY

But when it comes to quoting sculptures in the round with this headdress much less evidence is available. Indeed, I know of no inscribed sculpture with this Junior Blue Crown. But there is a head in Cairo, ccrtainly royal, in ąuartzite, quotcd by Vandier which secms to bc wearing this headdress. Vandicr identified ii as probably King Ay²³. Its size, provenance and registration number arc unknown. At present this is easily the carliest known example of this headdress in the round.

The two chief characteristics of this headdress arc that it closcly follows the contours of the skuli, almost like a wig, and that its surface is cntircly covcred with smali con-centric cireles of the type commonly found on the traditional Blue Crown. While these smali cireles are preserved over scattered areas of the Dayton sculpture they are par-ticularly evident on the lower back of the crown and again on the (spectatofs) left side. They leave no doubt of the identity of this as a relatively late type of royal headdress. A lew other details perhaps not evident in the illustration must be menlioned. There is a traditional wesekh necklace in blue, grecn and red, quite worn but clearly of a width making an attribution earlier than the New Kingdom highly unlikely. There also seem to be traces (though this is uncertain) of a painted belt around the hips. Openings on the front half of the head suggest that the sculpture was supplied with a metal uraeus, one with a widely coiled body. The rather bland face suggests, as much as it suggests anything, a reversion to ideals of Dynasty XVIII prior to the reign of Amenhotep III. The medium is a hard brown wood perhaps ebony.

Who is this king? That, at present, is a question which can be answered only in vcry generał terms. In style the sculpture cannot belong to the New Kingdom nor to any period from Dynasty XXV down to the last days of Egyptian art. It has to belong to the poorly known Third Intermcdiate Period, Dynasties XXI-XXIV, probably to Dynasties XXI-XXII. If this sculpture is not outstanding, as is obviously the case, it is on the other hand a better than average work and a document of considcrable importance in the history of Egyptian art as it shows that the great Theban tradition of cxccuting royal sculptures in wood continued after the fali of Dynasty XX.

Additional examples of royal representations wearing this crown are not numerous but there are a lew and they may be of assistance eventually in identifying the Dayton statuette and other pieees. I he latesl representation known to me is on a rare faience relief in Brooklyn formerly in the Hood Colleclion and most recently published by Elizabeth Riefstahl²⁴. Here the liltle known King luput I of Dynasty XXIII wears this crown, the last appearance of it know n to me. It is worth remarking that here the body of the uraeus is elaboratcly coiled as w as suggested for this dctail on the Dayton statuette.

²³    Manuel. III. pl. 120. no. 2. Texl p 36B. 371

²⁴    Ancienl Egyptian (Hass and Glazes. no. 59.