Menkaret Bearing the Osiride King
New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, reign of Tutankhamun, c. 1332–1323 B.C.
From the Tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62), Valley of the Kings
JE 60716
Carved in elegant, elongated form, this striking figure represents the goddess Menkaret striding forward, supporting upon her head the mummiform, Osiride image of King Tutankhamun. The king is rendered as Osiris, lord of the afterlife, signifying his rebirth and eternal sovereignty beyond death. Menkaret, a protective and regenerative deity, here embodies divine support (both physical and symbolic) elevating the king into the realm of the gods.
The sculpture once formed part of the rich assemblage within the treasury of KV62, a space devoted to ritual and resurrection. Its refined proportions and poised movement exemplify the delicate balance between grace and sacred function in late 18th Dynasty craftsmanship.
This figure was not merely symbolic, but played an active role in the king’s burial rites. According to surviving evidence, the statue was used alongside two others in the ritual processions of Tutankhamun’s funeral, likely carried in a manner echoing everyday Egyptian practice, in which women bore vessels upon their heads.
In this context, Menkaret quite literally supports the king, her hands steadying his body as she carries him, transforming a familiar gesture into one of profound religious meaning. The act becomes both practical and sacred: a visual expression of protection, rebirth, and the careful conveyance of the king into the afterlife.
Tragically, the object was damaged following the events of 2011 and is now known primarily through earlier photographs.
Goddess Menkaret
Menkaret is a rare and somewhat enigmatic Egyptian goddess, her name is often understood as “She who embraces the Ka,” suggesting a protective and sustaining role within the afterlife.
Unlike major goddesses such as Isis or Nephthys, Menkaret is not widely attested in temple reliefs or textual sources, and no independent cult centre is known; her presence is largely confined to royal funerary contexts. In art, she appears as a graceful female figure who physically supports or carries the king in his Osiride form, symbolising divine care, rebirth, and the safe transition of the ruler into eternity.
She belongs to that intimate sphere of protective deities whose purpose was not cosmic rule, but the personal safeguarding of the king’s body and spirit in death, ensuring that he might live again among the gods.
As of now, Menkaret is chiefly known from the funerary assemblage of Tutankhamun (c. 1332–1323 B.C.).
Summary:
Goddess Menkaret Bearing the Osiride King
New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, reign of Tutankhamun, c. 1332–1323 B.C.
From the Tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62), Valley of the Kings
Inventory No: JE 60716
