Egypt Museum ancient Egypt art culture and history

Sandstone sunken relief of an Amarna woman

Relief of an Amarna Woman

This sandstone sunken relief of a woman dates from the Amarna Period, and it is easy to tell the era she is from due to the style in which she is depicted. The artistic manner is most definitely from the period of Akhenaten’s experimental reign, however, this piece was actually found in Thebes and not...

Parennefer receiving reward in the form of necklaces, from king Akhenaten and Great Royal Wife Nefertiti.

Relief of Parennefer

Parennefer was a close advisor to Prince Amenhotep IV (King Akhenaten), before he became king. Once Amenhotep IV, or rather, King Akhenaten, took the throne, Parennefer served as his personal Royal Butler, and worked closely as a confidant to the king. In the age of Akhenaten, it was Akhenaten who was the representation of Ma’at...

Statue of Snofru-nefer

Statue of Snofru-nefer, a court official

The statue of Snofru-nefer is a prime example for demonstrating the fundamental principles of the Egyptian sculptor. He was the principal singer and the overseer of amusements at the royal court. The upright posture and the positioning of the arms at a straight angle with the shoulders demonstrate the strict adherence to straight angles. The...

Painted wooden statue of Metjetji

Statue of Metjetji

With titles such as, “Overseer of the Bureau of Tentantry of the Court“, “Overseer of the Office of the Palace of Tenants”, “Liege of the King of the Great Palace”, Metjetji was clearly a wealthy man of elite status. It is believed he worked directly with the king and possibly played an important role in...

Detail of the Coffin of Priestess Iawttayesheret

Coffin of Priestess Iawttayesheret

This is the coffin lid of a woman named, Iawttayesheret (also known as Tayesheret), who lived during Egypt’s 25th Dynasty, c. 722-655 B.C. Iawttayesheret was the daughter of Padikhnum and Tadiaset. Iawttayesheret held the title of The Divine Adoratrice of Amun, which was a title given to those secondary to the God’s Wife of Amun....

A battle scene depicting Asiatic bearded men being trampled under the horses that pull the Egyptian royal chariot.

Asiatic enemies trampled

A battle scene depicting Asiatic bearded men (West Asia/Eastern Mediterranean) being trampled under the horses that pull the Egyptian royal chariot. This block with a fragmented scene was discovered (MMA excavations, 1912–13) within the Temple of Ramesses IV, among the foundation where it was being reused as a foundational block. Some Egyptologists dated this piece...

Chlorite head of a female sphinx with missing inlaid eyes, wig clip visible

Head of female sphinx

Chlorite head of a female sphinx with missing inlaid eyes, wig clip visible. Middle Kingdom, 12th Dynasty, c.1876-1842 B.C. Heliopolis, Egypt. Possibly found within Hadrian’s Villa, Rome, Italy. Brooklyn Museum. 56.85 Small details sometimes provide crucial clues to understanding a sculpture. On this object, for example, the back of the wig extends horizontally instead of...

Chantress of Amun-Ra, Tentosorkon

Chantress of Amun-Ra, Tentosorkon

Lady of the House; Chantress of Amun-Ra, Tentosorkon, as appearing in her Papyrus (Book of the Dead), discovered in Thebes. c. 945 B.C. British Museum. EA9919,2 The name means ‘The (female) servant of Osorkon’. Tentosorkon (That of Sorkon), a name of Libyan origin which appeared around the 21st dynasty in the Delta, and was popularised...

Henuttaneb, daughter of Amenhotep III & Queen Tiye

Henuttaneb, daughter of Amenhotep III & Queen Tiye

Limestone statuette of Princess Henuttaneb (daughter of Amenhotep III & Queen Tiye) New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, c. 1388-1350 B.C. Formerly in the collection of Dominique Mallet, acquired before 1930. Antiquities, Christie’s, London, 30 April 2008, lot 236. Henuttaneb wears the vulture headdress over a bi-partite wig with two pigtails down her back, with traces of...