In a quiet chamber of House L.50.12 at Amarna, not far from a modest domestic shrine, excavators of the 1923–24 season uncovered two sandstone figures standing side by side: the heretic king Akhenaten and his queen, the ever-radiant Nefertiti. Fashioned in the later years of the Atenist experiment, both statues once held offering trays aloft...
A glimmer from the lifetime of the female pharaoh Hatshepsut, this elegant mirror is fashioned from a copper alloy, cast in two neat pieces. The gleaming disk possesses a sturdy little tang that slots snugly into the handle, secured by a modest bronze peg; simple engineering with a decidedly regal flair. The handle itself bears...
In the vast world of Egyptian art, most treasures are the glamorous survivors: gilded coffins, glittering jewellery, superb limestone reliefs polished by the desert wind. Yet every so often, something slips through from a very different realm; the dusty, aromatic heart of the ancient workshop itself. A rare survival of the craftsman’s workshop, this modest...
King Den (also written Djer, Udimu, or Den-Setui) was one of the most important rulers of Egypt’s First Dynasty, reigning around c. 2970–2930 B.C. He is remembered as a strong and innovative king who helped shape the early Egyptian state at a time when kingship itself was still taking form. This small ivory plaque, once...
In this luminous tableau from the sepulchral chambers of King Seti I, the sun god Ra appears in his nocturnal guise; not as the blazing daytime disc, but as the ram-headed lord of the night boat, gliding steadily through the dark waters of the Duat. Here he stands within the solar barque, poised with calm...
The mummy of king Ahmose I was discovered in the Royal Cache of Deir el-Baharai, in 1881. He was buried within a coffin inscribed with his name, and his wrappings also bore his name in hieratic script, as well as a garland of Delphinium flowers wrapped around his neck. King Ahmose I holds a place...
Carved from luminous elephant ivory, this wonderfully animated mechanical dog is shown in a vigorous, full-stretch leap, every muscle carved in lively tension. Beneath its chest sits a discreet lever mechanism: when pressed, the dog opens and closes its mouth, revealing a pair of tiny teeth and a red-painted tongue. Originally, the jaw was operated...
This finely made bronze axe-head was crafted as an ornamental piece rather than a functional weapon. Its blade is pierced with an intricate openwork scene of two bulls locked in combat, their horns interlaced in a moment of tense, sculptural energy. Both sides show carefully tooled internal detail, revealing the high skill of the metalworker....
This magnificent red-granite lion, carved in the reign of Amenhotep III, shows the animal in a graceful recumbent pose, forepaws crossed and tail curled neatly around the rump. Its modelling is a masterful blend of stylised elegance and striking naturalism: a circular mane frames the head; raised fur textures mark the chest and shoulders; the...
Beneath the quiet lights of the Brooklyn Museum rests the head of a tomb statue, carved in limestone and once painted in warm honey-brown tones: a complexion both lifelike and luminous, as though the gentleman had only just stepped out of Egypt’s Old Kingdom sun. His wig, fashioned in the familiar tiered “helmet” style of...
Fashioned from the thinnest sheets of shimmering gold, these delicate sandals were never meant to grace a living foot. Instead, they were lovingly crafted to adorn the body of the deceased, guiding her in gilded splendour into the afterlife. Beautiful though they are, one imagines they would have been dreadfully uncomfortable for earthly wandering, and...
A tender and unexpectedly gentle vision of Akhenaten greets us here; not the exaggerated, long (almost lion-like) faced king of the Amarna reliefs, but a softer, quieter sovereign in painted limestone. A faint flush of red still clings to his lips, a ghost of the colours that once enlivened his courtly presence. Upon his brow...
In the long reign of Ramesses II (between 1279 and 1213 B.C.), devotion could be as grand as a temple façade or as humble as a handheld shrine. This charming fragment, now housed in The Met (90.6.1), once formed part of a larger votive statue crafted by an official of the king. In Ancient Egypt,...
