Limestone head of a woman

This limestone head a of a woman dates from the New Kingdom. It’s remnants showcase a beautifully decorated wig, adorned with a headband and plait cascading down the back of her head. However, the piece has recieved much restoration work and has somewhat influenced how we see this piece in the modern age.

This below is our attempt at Egypt-Museum of recreating the statues fragmented state of which it was discovered. As you can see, the centre of the face is almost entirely lost, and what we see in the head today is a modern reconstruction. The museum’s archive actually states the paintwork on the eyes is also the work of restorers too.

A portrait of such grandeur and detail must have been created for a woman of status, likely a wife of a noble. Her deep set eyes, straight mouth and oversized wig indicates wealth. The beauty of such a piece in fragments makes it unsurprising that an attempt of restoration work was eagerly taken place.

There are other statues of women in very similar style to this head, such as the statue of the wife of Nakhtmin, which is also greatly damaged upon the face but still holds an aura of great magnitude. Based upon the artwork’s style, we at Egypt-Museum feel safe to presume that the statue likely dates from the mid-late 18th Dynasty, but we would be interested to hear your theories too.

Summary:

Fragmented head of a woman, with modern restoration work

New Kingdom, Probably Late 18th Dynasty (?), c. 1388-1292 B.C.

Field Museum of Natural History. Edward E. Ayer Collection, acquired in 1899.