Glossary Sculpture, figurines and art
Double crown
Also called: pschent
The Egyptian royal crown combining the white crown of Upper Egypt with the red crown of Lower Egypt, copied on some Cypriot statues.
In Egypt the double crown, known by its Greek name pschent, stood for rule over the whole country. On Cyprus a composite crown resembling it appears on a subset of the sixth-century Egyptianizing limestone votaries, and on sphinxes in the decoration of metal bowls. The Cypriot versions are simplified and freely combined with local dress, and statues may pair a kilt with a crown, a diadem, a wreath or a bare head.
What the crown meant on Cyprus is debated. It may have been borrowed as a prestigious foreign emblem, or it may have expressed royal power under the protection of the goddess; one reading holds that its use was not confined to Phoenician rulers. See Egypt.
Full entry: Egypt
Related terms
- Egyptianizing
Borrowing the look of Egyptian art (dress, poses, crowns and motifs) in objects made outside Egypt, often through Phoenician intermediaries.
- Kilt
A knee-length wrapped skirt of Egyptian origin, pleated and often with a decorated front panel, worn by many Cypriot limestone votaries.
- Sphinx
A mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head, usually winged in Cypriot and Near Eastern art, used as a guardian and royal emblem.