Part II:

Looking carefully, Describing and Analyzing

Art in the area of Mesopotamia was very different to that of Egypt. Egyptians were a much more highly stylized, polished society and their art was a reflection of their perfection. Although these two portraits are similar in some way they have huge differences that set them apart just as fast as we lay our eyes on them.
The Head of the Sasanian King is made of silver and it is possibly, although not completely surely, the portrayal of Shapur II. It suggests the splendor of Sasanian court life. It testifies not only to its wealth but also to the superb skills of its court artists. The head is slightly under life-sized. The sculptor employed the repoussé technique, that is, hammered the shape from a single sheet of metal and pushed the features out from behind. The artists then engraved the details into silver surface to give form and texture to the hair and beard and to lend the eyes an almost hypnotic stare. Selected portions of the portrait have mercury gliding to give the metal an even richer look and to add color. In this work, an unknown sculptor captured the essence of imperial majesty.
Like the Head of the Sasanian King, the death mask of King Tutankhamen portrays the splendor of Egyptian art and the skill that the artists possessed. The portrait mask, which covered the king’s face, is made of gold with inlaid semiprecious stones. It is a sensitive portrayal of the serene adolescent king dressed in his official regalia, including the nemes headdress and false beard. The general effect of the mask and of the tomb it was found in is of grandeur and richness expressive of Egyptian power, pride, and influence.
The function of both portraits, however, is different. The Head of the Sasanian King is to assert the power of the King above everyone else; King Tut’s mask is a mortuary mask, it was made to ensure the pharaoh’s face in the afterlife. The former was an accurate depiction of majesty but from al respectful, almost scared viewpoint; the latter a description of an idealized leader done in a reverential tone