Lady Mi

Diminutive in scale yet dazzling in presence, this statuette portrays Lady Mi, a courtly figure of the reign of Amenhotep III. Carved from wood and once richly embellished with gold leaf and inlays, she wears a heavy wig and broad earrings, fashionably in step with the royal court of her day.

Unlike the eternal youth usually imposed upon Egyptian art, Lady Mi reveals a rare candour; beneath her clinging linen dress the sculptor allowed hints of maturity, the softened belly and fuller bosom of a woman past her first youth.


This honesty aligns her with the artistic spirit of her age, when even queens might be portrayed with regal dignity rather than youthful perfection, a practice extended to courtiers as well, so that even a maiden could be rendered with lifelike candour.

Statues of elite women, such as the more stylised Lady Tuty or the wooden figures from Theban tombs, tend to emphasise ageless elegance. Lady Mi, however, stands apart: graceful yet grounded, worldly yet whimsical. She reminds us that beauty in Ancient Egypt could also be truthful, a golden-eared acknowledgement of life’s passing years.

Medinet Gurob

At the desert’s edge, where the fertile lands of the Faiyum open out, lies the site of Medinet Gurob. Excavated in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, it revealed the remains of a substantial New Kingdom palace complex. Often called the “Harem Palace”, this was no idle retreat, but a residence and administrative centre associated with the women of Amenhotep III’s court. Here lived queens, secondary wives, daughters, and ladies-in-waiting, their lives bound to dynastic politics, diplomacy, and ritual.

From Gurob emerged some of the most striking portraits of Egyptian women. The statuette of Lady Mi (Brooklyn Museum) portrays a courtly woman with gold earrings and mature form, carved in wood once bright with gilding. Her companion in spirit is the statuette of Lady Tuty (Brooklyn Museum), similarly gilded and inscribed, representing another member of the same courtly circle. And crowning them all is the celebrated portrait head of Queen Tiye (Berlin), carved from rare yew wood with inlaid eyes, whose naturalism and dignity capture Egypt’s most influential queen at the height of her power.

What type of wood?

The Brooklyn Museum catalogue only specifies that Lady Mi is carved from wood with gold leaf and pigment, but it does not name the species. Egyptian statuettes of this period were often made from imported hardwoods such as sycamore fig, tamarisk, or more precious imported timbers like cedar or ebony. Native sycamore was most common for small-scale figures, while cedar and ebony were highly prized and often reserved for elite or royal commissions. Since Lady Mi’s statuette was originally richly adorned with gold leaf and inlays, it may well have been carved from a fine imported wood, though without a scientific wood identification (microscopic or chemical analysis), we can’t say with certainty which type.

Summary:

Statuette of the Lady Mi

New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, c. 1390–1353 B.C.

Excavated at Medinet Gurob. Now at the Brooklyn Museum, Acc. no. 47.120.3