27/07/2026
Limestone Statue of a Kneeling Priest (Possibly Prince Thutmose, the elder brother of Akhenaten & original heir)
New Kingdom, late 18th Dynasty, c. 1375–1355 B.C.
From Thebes, Upper Egypt
British Museum, EA21979
▫ This exquisitely crafted limestone statue depicts a kneeling priest, originally holding an offering table. The figure wears a short layered wig with a the side lock of youth upon the right side of his head. This style, is of course associated with a young age and princely status, but could also be identifying him as a priest, possibly of the god Ptah. He is adorned with traces of red-painted armlets, a leopard-skin garment across his back (another sign of priestly status), and faint remnants of a ‘gold of honour’ collar. The features are rendered with exceptional delicacy with elongated eyes outlined in black, typical of the style during the reign of Amenhotep III. He is a softly modelled face, and full lips and small sharply incised nose.
Although unnamed, the quality of the workmanship and stylistic parallels to royal sculpture of Amenhotep III’s reign have led scholars to propose that this may represent his eldest son, Prince Thutmose. The statue’s refined finish and unusual use of fine-grained limestone suggest it was produced by one of the royal ateliers.
