<em>Head from a Statue of a Lion</em>, ca. 3300–3100 B.C.E. Pegmatite, 9 3/4 x 7 7/8 x 12 13/16 in., 42 lb. (24.8 x 20 x 32.5 cm, 19.05kg). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 73.26. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 73.26_PS6.jpg)

Head from a Statue of a Lion, ca. 3300–3100 B.C.E. Pegmatite, 9 3/4 x 7 7/8 x 12 13/16 in., 42 lb. (24.8 x 20 x 32.5 cm, 19.05kg). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 73.26. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 73.26_PS6.jpg)

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This stylized lion head is actually one of the earliest surviving large-scale Egyptian statues. Lions were associated with the king and revered throughout Ancient Egyptian history.

Early sculptures like this were designed to stand guard at temples. The arch of this sculpture's neck tells us that it comes from a crouching or reclining statue.

Head from a Statue of a Lion

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

On View: Egyptian Orientation Gallery, 3rd Floor

From earliest times, the lion symbolized the power of the Egyptian king. A sculptor carved this image at a time when kings buried lions near their tombs, to demonstrate the monarch’s ability to control a wild animal known for its strength and ferocity. Whether this sculpture came from a tomb or a temple, it captures the essence of that fierce beast.

MEDIUM Pegmatite

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONS

Possible place collected: Ballana (vicinity), Egypt
Possible place collected: Sohag (vicinity), Egypt

DATES ca. 3300–3100 B.C.E.

DYNASTY early Dynasty 1, or earlier

PERIOD Predynastic Period to Early Dynastic Period

DIMENSIONS 9 3/4 x 7 7/8 x 12 13/16 in., 42 lb. (24.8 x 20 x 32.5 cm, 19.05kg) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 73.26

CREDIT LINE Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION One head of a lion cub in black and white granite broken from the body at the neck. Most of left side of neck remains. Break appears ancient. Top of muzzle worn smooth. Both ears chipped. Nose on right side chipped. Several areas around muzzle chipped.

EXHIBITIONS

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Egyptian Orientation Gallery, 3rd Floor

CAPTION Head from a Statue of a Lion, ca. 3300–3100 B.C.E. Pegmatite, 9 3/4 x 7 7/8 x 12 13/16 in., 42 lb. (24.8 x 20 x 32.5 cm, 19.05kg). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 73.26. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 73.26_PS6.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 73.26_PS6.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2011

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

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Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

Tell me more

This stylized lion head is actually one of the earliest surviving large-scale Egyptian statues. Lions were associated with the king and revered throughout Ancient Egyptian history.

Early sculptures like this were designed to stand guard at temples. The arch of this sculpture's neck tells us that it comes from a crouching or reclining statue.