The Narmer macehead is an ancient Egyptian decorative stone mace head. It was found in the “main deposit” in the temple area of the ancient Egyptian city of Nekhen (Hierakonpolis) by British Egyptologist James Quibell in 1898. The mace is a club-like weapon with a heavy top stone that is pierced for the insertion of...
The stele of Merneptah was originally erected by King Amenhotep III in his mortuary temple on the west bank of Thebes. King Merneptah, the thirteenth son and successor of King Ramesses II, reused the back face of this gray granite stele. The round top of this face, topped by the winged sun disk and flanked...
Portrait head of a princess of one of the daughters of Akhenaten and Nefertiti from a composite statue, it was discovered within the workshop of the royal sculptor Thutmose at Tell el-Amarna, or Akhetaten. In Amarna art the daughters of Akhenaten and Nefertiti express the tenets of the new religion. Gathered playfully near their parents,...
This stele of the sculptor Bek with his wife Taheret is a significant artefact from the Amarna Period, dating approximately to 1353-1336 B.C. It features Bek, whose name translates to “Servant” in Egyptian, and who was the first chief royal sculptor under Akhenaten. His father, Men, held the same prestigious position under Akhenaten’s father, Amenhotep...
Some of the earliest silver objects unearthed in Egypt are these rare silver bracelets that once belonged to Queen Hetepheres I. They are inlaid with turquoise, lapis lazuli, and carnelian, in the form of a butterfly. The internal and external surfaces of this small box, or casket, were covered with gold leaf. The lid of...
The seat and the backrest of the armchair Armchair of Queen Hetepheres I are made of natural wood. They are surrounded by a simple wooden frame covered with gold leaf with high arms in gilded wood. The backrest of the chair is reinforced at the rear by a central support. The space between the arms,...
The vizier Hor is shown seated with one leg bent up against his chest and the other resting on the ground; it is the traditional way to sit, and is used by Egyptian peasants to this day. He has a shaved head, delicate features, round cheeks and a small mouth. His kilt is held up...
This exquisite gold head of the falcon god Horus, lord of the sun and patron deity of kingship, was found below the floor of the main chamber of his temple at Hierakonpolis, north of Edfu. The head, which is made out of beaten gold, was fixed to a copper statue of the falcon Horus. It...
This original gold cosmetics container in the shape of a shell or scallop was found in the pyramidal complex of the king Sekhemkhet which was built on the model of his predecessor Djoser. For the ancient Egyptians, the plant and animal worlds were an inexhaustible source of decorative themes, particularly in the design of small,...
This fine limestone statue probably comes from a chapel dedicated to the god Horus, in the vicinity of the tomb of King Djer at Abydos. At the time of the discovery, the statue still retained significant remains of its polychromy. The breast was covered with a gold leaf, and the wings still had, in places,...
