Head of Ptolemy IV or Ptolemy VI in the Louvre, June 2014

Ptolemy IV or Ptolemy VI
3rd century BC
Provenance: sanctuary of Sarapis, Alexandria (Egypt)
Marble
H. 46 cm

It is difficult to know whether the features represented here are those of Ptolemy IV (221–204 BC) or of Ptolemy VI (180–145 BC), since portraits of Egyptian kings drew heavily on one another in their quest for legitimacy. The head was part of a group decorating the Temple of Serapis in Alexandria, consisting of a statue of the god flanked by a royal couple synnaos (“sharing the same temple”). The other two heads are preserved in Alexandria.

Purchased in 1901
Department of Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities
N° d'entrée MND 479
(n° usuel Ma 3168)

Text from: cartelen.louvre.fr/cartelen/visite?srv=car_not_frame&idNotice=20685&langue=en