Sculpted as a bust, the piece may represent a royal child. While a definitive attribution is not possible the form is a known type utilized by royal princes and princess. The children of Pharaohs and high officials adopted the side lock of youth, which is more widely associated with the child deity Harpocrates, the god of silence and secrets. Common for works in marble from the Hellenistic period from Alexandria this piece presents an area that appears unfinished. Originally these sections were finished in stucco as marble is not native to Alexandria, making marble a more expensive option and suited for royal depictions. But if the bust is a representation of the child god than it is a very early example as images of the deity started to be seen in Alexandria during the Hellenistic period. The worship quickly spread throughout the Greco-Egyptian world and into the Roman period.
