Sheikh el-Balad

More about Sheikh el-Balad

*original photo by Next Anyextee (tour guide from Adeptexpeditions.com)*
/colorized using my universal colorizer style template:

"Sheikh el-Balad", Arabic title for the chief of the village, the name given to this remarkable wooden statue discovered by the workmen of Auguste Mariette, the French archaeologist, because it resembled their own village chief.

The statue depicts ka-aper, the chief lector priest, in charge of reciting magical incantation for the deceased in temples and funerary chapels.

It is one of the masterpieces of the private statuary of the Old Kingdom. Eyes made of rock crystal with white opaque quartz and copper rims.