Egypt Museum ancient Egypt art culture and history

Statue of King Khafre Enthroned

Khafre Enthroned

The sculpture shows king Khafre enthroned, wearing the royal headdress, known as the nemes, and a false beard, both of which were symbols of kingship in ancient Egypt. It is is considered one of the iconic masterpieces of ancient Egyptian art. Immensely famous ever since its discovery and is known for its exceptional craftsmanship and...

Osiris Canopus Jar

Osiris Canopic Jar

A Canopic jar with the head of Osiris emerging from it. In the cult of Isis and Serapis, during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. Osiris Canopus jars (also known Osiris-Hydreios) were carried by priests during processions. As they are solid, each symbolically carried water from the Nile, fertility that originated from the god Osiris, one...

Scarab Bracelet of Tutankhamun

Scarab Bracelet of Tutankhamun

The scarab bracelet of Tutankhamun is considered a masterpiece of ancient Egyptian jewelry. The rigid gold bracelet is composed of two semicircles joined together by a hinge on one side and a clasp on the other. The central plaque bears a cloisonné scarab inlaid with lapis lazuli. The scarab, symbol of the morning sun, rebirth...

Statue of Ramesses I as a Scribe

This statue of Paramessu, who later became King Ramesses I, shows him in the classic pose of a seated scribe. Statues of this type are intended to depict a great man of letters, not just a mere scribe. He was the founder of the 19th Dynasty, father of King Seti I and grand father of...

Stele of dedicated to Amun-Re by Baki

Stele of dedicated to Amun-Re by Baki

This round-topped stele of the foreman Baki is carved in low relief and painted in several colors. The pictorial plane is divided into two registers, the upper one containing two rams facing each other. The animals, with cobras rising on their foreheads, wear tall headdresses composed of two tall plumes with a solar disk at...

Sphinx of Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut as a Sphinx

The reconstructed sections of the sphinx of Hatshepsut have been cast from an almost identical, but more complete companion piece now in Cairo. The two small limestone sphinxes may have been on either side of the entrance to the upper terrace of Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari. The head of this sphinx differs markedly...

Gold Bowl of General Wendjebauendjed

Gold Bowl of Wendjebauendjed

This golden bowl with rosette in center from the reign of King Psusennes I of the 21st Dynasty, is inscribed with the name of Wendjebauendjed, who was an army general of that period. The artifact is decorated in the center with a cloisonné, polychrome glass paste flower from which 23 grooves radiate. It is thought...

The journey of the sun god Re. Detail in the inner coffin of Nespawershefyt. Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. E.1.1822 

The Journey of the Sun God Re

The scene shows the journey of the sun god Re, in his falcon form, seated in his shrine. On the prow, we see the god Hor-nedj-it-ef, Horus the avenger of his father, harpooning the evil snake Apep or Apophis, symbol of chaos and destruction. By the end of the barque, we see the steer holder...

Wooden Statuette of Neferetmau

Wooden Statuette of Neferetmau

The wooden statuette depicts a naked young girl named Neferetmau with her arms stretched out along her body. The head is mostly shaved, with the exception of the braids (some fall on the shoulders, others cover the forehead) that frame the face, and two loose strands of hair. She wears disc earrings and a golden...

Child’s Chair of King Tutankhamun

Child’s Chair of Tutankhamun

This solid chair is an everyday piece of furniture that was found in the room called the “Antechamber” in the tomb of Tutankhamun. It has been suggested that the king used it when he was a child. It is made of ebony inlaid with ivory and embellished with gold panels on the arms that are...