New Kingdom, 1550-1070 BC. A carved basalt head with bag wig and hatched detailing, rounded features and narrow mouth; provincial workmanship; mounted on a custom-made stand. 3.3 kg, 18cm (7"). From the private collection of a medical professional; formerly in the old French collection of Mr G M of Toulouse, circa 1980; with an old collection label to the base stating excavated at Dara in 1947; supplied with geologic report No. TL005229 by Dr Ronald Bonewitz, and an original French certificate of exportation, number 209498. The uraeus is a representation of a sacred serpent as an emblem of supreme power, worn on the headdresses of ancient Egyptian deities and sovereigns.