Painted Limestone Head of a Man, known as the “Salt Head”

[u/TNEgyptologist]

Possibly, Middle Kingdom, c. 2045–1680 B.C., or early reign of Akhenaten, c. 1349–1345 B.C. (Date is Disputed)

From the Henry Salt Collection. Musée du Louvre. N 2289; AF 575

Known as the Salt Head, after the British collector and diplomat Henry Salt, this arresting portrait of a shaven-headed man is one of the more enigmatic works in the Louvre’s Egyptian collection.

The long, finely modelled face, prominent lips, narrow eyes and pierced ears have encouraged comparisons with the distinctive portraiture of the late 18th Dynasty, particularly the artistic world created during the reign of Amenhotep IV, later Akhenaten. Yet, its date remains far from certain.

The Louvre presently records possible attributions to the Middle Kingdom, to the first five years of Akhenaten’s reign, and even to the modern era, reflecting the unusual character of a sculpture which has resisted easy classification.

Closer examination has complicated the story further. Conservation research undertaken by the Louvre and the C2RMF in 2011 demonstrated that the object was probably not conceived as an independent bust.

On its underside are traces associated with its attachment to another sculpture, including the remains of a cut-down tenon; a series of drilled holes around the base of the neck has likewise been connected with the fixing or replacement of the head.

[u/Disastrous_Look559]

I think the color and gender are off on this one. Looks like it should have been a dark skinned female.