Granite
Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12, circa 1836 - 1818 B.C.
Possibly from Hierakonpolis

A masterpiece of Middle Kingdom royal sculpture, this statue
of the Twelfth Dynasty king Senwosret II encapsulates the basic
theme of this installation: the interaction between permanence
and change. By the time an artist carved this piece, the seated
pose had been part of the Egyptian tradition for more than
eight hundred years, most of the elements of the costume had been
around even longer. However, the style of carving --
note Senwosret's expressive face -- had been in vogue for
less than a gneration.