This sandstone head depicts King Mentuhotep II in Osiride form, wearing the white Atef crown of Osiris . With a slight smile, lined eyes , red skin, and a uraeus on his crown , the statue originally featured a false beard, now missing except for a black line along the jawline.

Mentuhotep II (Ancient Egyptian: Mn-ṯw-ḥtp, “Mentu is satisfied”), also known by his prenomen Nebhepetre (Nb-ḥpt-Rˁ, “The Lord of the Rudder is Ra”), was the sixth ruler of the 11th Dynasty.

He reunited Egypt, ending the First Intermediate Period and inaugurating the Middle Kingdom, reigning 51 years. He succeeded Intef III and was followed by his son Mentuhotep III.
British Museum Curator: “The Osiride royal statue of Mentuhotep II, an innovation of his reign, expressed the king’s assimilation after death with Osiris, the king of the dead” .

Period: Middle Kingdom, 11th Dynasty
Reign: ca. 2061–2010 B.C.
Collection: British Museum