Figure of Taweret

Painted limestone statuette of Tawaret.

This figurine was donated to a woman named Taweret by her mother. She has one arm bent and a lotus bud in her uplifted hand, a gesture rarely seen in depictions of women. The lotus bud could refer to Taweret’s youth. This unopened bloom is rarely found in statues. As with the sculpture of a young male named Amenemhab, it is possible that such iconography meant the person depicted died prematurely.

The statuette was excavated by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon in 1912, at Thebes, Asasif, Tomb CC 51.

Taweret stands with her left foot slightly forward, indicating motion, Egyptologists tend to call this a “striding” stance. This stance is typically reserved for portraits of males from earlier periods. The advent of new poses and gestures in non-royal women sculptures in the early New Kingdom may indicate women’s increasingly significant roles in Egyptian society at the time. The statue measures at: h. 17.2 cm (6 3/4 in); w. 4.7 cm (1 7/8 in); d. 7.6 cm (3 in).

Tawaret is depicted in an ankle length dress, and a wig that became popular in the Late 17th Dynasty. The wig’s style consists of plaited hair cascading forward upon the shoulders and chest of the wearer, while the back has three strands of plaited hair falling down the back. Such style was seen on artworks into the Early 18th Dynasty period.

The idea of a flower yet to bloom being symbolic of early death is a rather poignant bit of symbology that can be seen across the ages from varied civilisations, especially in literature or poetry.

Summary:

Figure of Taweret, dedicated to the deceased by her mother
New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, reign of Ahmose I–Amenhotep I, c. 1550–1504 B.C.
Excavated by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon in 1912, at Thebes, Asasif, Tomb CC 51.
Met Museum. 26.7.1404