MALE HEAD OF CUBE STATUE Quartzite. H. 7 cm Egypt, Late Period, c. XXVIth dynasty, 664-525 BC Provenance Estate of M. Jean Pozzi (1884-1967), French Minister Plenipotentiary in Constantinople, Tehran and Cairo (1926-1942). Hôtel Drouot Paris, Mes Rheims et Laurin, Monday 16 November 1970, lot 208 Male head wearing a short wig slightly flared at the sides. The face has hemmed eyes, slightly raised eyebrows and a closed mouth sketching a discreet smile. The clear break in the neck indicates that this is a fragment of a cube statue. Cube statues depict a seated figure in a stooped posture, with the legs folded against the chest and the arms crossed over the knees, giving the whole a characteristic cubic appearance. The absence of a neck - the head seems simply to be resting between the two hands - accentuates this geometrisation, with only the feet protruding from the "cube". The posture adopted is open to several interpretations: representation of the deceased as a guardian seated at the gate of the temple, expression of submission before the divinity, or evocation of rebirth as the sun passes by. These sculptures were intended for the sacred spaces of temples. Their resistant material (diorite, limestone or quartzite) and massive size meant that they could be displayed in open-air courtyards as ex-voto offerings from private individuals. Placed within the sacred precincts, such an effigy enabled the deceased to participate eternally in the divine cult and benefit from the protection of the gods, with food offerings presented to the divinity then placed in front of the statues of the faithful. A Late Period Quartzite Cube Statue Head. Dynasty 26. 664-525 BCE. Male head wearing a short wig slightly flared at the sides. The face displays rimmed eyes, eyebrows in slight relief and a closed mouth sketching a discreet smile. The clean break line at the neck level indicates this is a fragment of a block statue. Block statues represent a figure seated in a compact posture, legs folded against the chest and arms crossed over the knees, conferring upon the whole a characteristic cubic appearance. The absence of neck - the head seeming simply placed between the two hands - accentuates this geometrization, with only the feet protruding from the "cube". The adopted posture is subject to several interpretations: representation of the deceased as guardian seated at the temple door, expression of submission before the divinity, or evocation of rebirth at the sun's passage. These sculptures were destined for the sacred spaces of temples. Their resistant material (diorite, limestone or quartzite) and massiveness permitted their exhibition in open-air courtyards as ex-votos offered by private individuals. Placed within the sacred precinct, such an effigy allowed the deceased to participate eternally in divine worship and benefit from the protection of the gods, the food offerings presented to the divinity then being deposited before the statues of the faithful.