Purchased by the British Museum from the Government of the British Protectorate of Egypt in 1904, this limestone scene and false door from the Mastaba tomb of Urienptah showcases the Old Kingdom traditional funerary art in a splendid display. The women have short cropped hair, possibly capped wigs, and long fitted dresses that hit their...
Made of limestone, the statue is delicately carved in traditional style of the Old Kingdom period. The pleated linen of Nen-Kheft-Ka’s kilt and belt, and dagger resting upon his stomach, showcases beautiful craftsmanship. The remnants of paint, reddish yellow, giving a golden hue to the skin, white of the kilt and black of the square...
Inscribed with the title of “Royal acquaintance”, this double statuette depicts a married couple, Nen-Kheft-Ka and his wife Nefer-Shemes. Nen-Kheft-Ka was the mayor of his town, and this statue was discovered within his mastaba, rock-cut tomb at Deshasheh. Made of limestone, the statue is delicately carved in traditional style of the Old Kingdom period. The...
This wooden figure of a man dates from around 2347-1793 B.C., making it a Late Old Kingdom – Middle Kingdom production. It depicts a man with one leg forth, holding a now, missing staff, and another object in his hand. He wears a short cropped wig upon his head and a pleated linen kilt, known...
This green-glazed composition vessel depicts the dwarf god Bes on one side and a circular display of varied animals, including a lion, ibexes, antelopes, deer and fowl on the back. One of the animals in the circle seemingly looks like a camel, but it is uncertain. Purchased by Dr Erich Cassirer and residing in the...
This head of a man dates from the Middle Kingdom period and is very recognizable by the characteristics of the face. Here we see a style of portraiture that began with the reign of Senwosret III. The face is no longer a smooth serene idealistic depiction, but a detailed lined face with frown lines, sunken...
This black granodiorite head of a king dates from the Ptolemaic period, c. 300 B.C. The Ptolemaic dynasty, also known as the Lagid dynasty (after Ptolemy I’s father, Lagus), was a Macedonian Greek royal house which ruled the Ptolemaic Kingdom in Ancient Egypt during the Hellenistic period. Reigning for 275 years, the Ptolemaic was the...
This limestone relief, depicting king Ramesses II, is rich in colour despite being just a fragmentary remnant. The king is adorned in yellow, representing glistening gold. The style of portraiture tells us this piece was likely made early within his reign, possibly somewhere between the first two years, as it’s very similar to works created...
This limestone fragment from a statue of a woman was found in the remnants of the Temple of Mentuhotep II, at Deir el-Bahari. At 26.50cm tall, unfortunately, her lower body and right arm are missing. She was discovered among other statues, known as “votive statues”, during an excavation of the Temple of Menuthotep II. It...
Within the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, there is a rather strange thing that doesn’t get much attention. It is what appears to be a true to life plaster cast death mask. This is not a mask made by an artist to represent a godlike image of the deceased, but an actual cast of the face....
