Walters Art Museum (Egyptian) · statue

Block Statue of Sheshonq

Accession: 22.80
Dynasty: 30th-Ptolemaic Dynasty
Date: 4th century BCE (Late Period-early Ptolemaic)
Date range: 400 BCE – 300 BCE
Materials: ['black granite']
Repository: Walters Art Museum
At source: View original →

Cite & export

Walters Art Museum (Egyptian), Block Statue of Sheshonq (22.80). Egyptian Inscriptions Database. https://egyptianinscriptions.org/object/220043

JSON →

Description

<p>"Block" statues-in the form of a man, squatting with arms crossed above his knees-were placed by their donors in temples since the time of the Middle Kingdom. Through his block statue, the donor anticipated participating continuously in the daily rituals and receiving the blessings that flowed from this presence. The cubic mass provided an extensive surface for inscriptions. This statue of Sheshonq, a priest of the god Amen-Re, is inscribed with a prayer to the "king of the gods," Amen, his consort Mut, and their son Khonsu. The three are depicted on the front of the statue with Sheshonq, who kneels before them in adoration.</p><p>For the latest information about this object, <cite><a href='https://purl.thewalters.org/art/22.80' rel='external'>Block Statue of Sheshonq</a></cite>, visit the Online Collection of the Walters Art Museum.</p>

AI image analysis GPT-5.4-nano

Machine-generated from the object's image on Jul 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.

A dark stone block statue showing a seated/standing male figure with a large cloak and incised hieroglyphic texts on the front and base.

The object is photographed from the front against a plain background. The figure wears an extended, rounded wig or head covering and a mantle/robe that drapes over the body. The upper body and face are carved in relief/rounded form, while the front surface and the pedestal/base are covered with dense rows of incised hieroglyphs. A central, horizontally framed register of hieroglyphs dominates the midsection, with additional lines of text below on the base. No clearly readable cartouche or royal name is discernible at this image resolution; individual signs are visible but not confidently assignable. The stone surface is highly polished and dark (appearing consistent with black granite), with light reflections around the head and shoulders. No Greek, Coptic, or Arabic text is visible.

royal Ancient Egyptian (likely Third Intermediate/Libyan Period, consistent with a Sheshonq-associated royal/political context; exact date uncertain from image alone) good

Materials dark stone (consistent with black granite)polished carved surface

Signs multiple incised hieroglyphs (grouped lines; difficult to isolate specific determinatives/phonograms) ×60

Connections

Deities Amun Ra Khonsu Mut

Cross-references (2)

Walters-AccNum 22.80 tier-2
Walters-id 3700 tier-2

About this record's data

From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Walters Art Museum (Egyptian).
AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.