When I took this photo in 2015 the label said it was part of a statue of Amenmesse later usurped by Seti II. But the Met Museum website now says that it matches a statue base known to be that of Seti II. New evidence has clearly come to light in the 7 years since I was in NY!
The changing ideas seem almost appropriate – Amenmesse and Seti II are part of a murky piece of Egyptian history that I’ve not really read much about yet. After Ramesses II died he was succeeded by his son Merenptah who despite being 13th son was the eldest to outlive his father.
Once his successor was thought to be Amenmesse temporarily usurping the throne from Seti II, the rightful heir. But more recent scholarship suggests that actually the two ruled consecutively, with Amenmesse taking power in the south but not managing to take the whole kingdom.
The statue was found at Karnak and this head is now in the Met Museum, acc. no.: 34.2.2.
See it on my photo site: https://photos.talesfromthetwolands.org/picture.php?/839/
Jigsaw Puzzles:
easier: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=0af0edd63e28
harder: https://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=3dc311f9fb54
Tales from the Two Lands 