Head of a Ptolemaic Queen: Cleopatra VII (?)

ca. 305 BCE-30 BCE

After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE, his generals share the immensity of the conquered territories. Ptolemy I (368-283 BCE) takes Egypt and founds a powerful dynasty. In his capital Alexandria, known for its "mouseion" and library, a renowned school of sculpture develops combining Greek and Egyptian aesthetic traditions. This monumental portrait of a queen, carved in the guise of the goddess Isis, is a most remarkable illustration of it.