Statue of King Sneferu

In this statue, King Sneferu, the founder of the 4th Dynasty, can be seen wearing the White Hedjet Crown of Upper Egypt, and a collar around his neck.

The king wears a short kilt, which is carved in detail and tied by a belt. The cartouche of king Senferu can be seen at the center of the belt, along with the title King of Upper and Lower Egypt. He is striding forwards, but his entire left side is missing.

The White Hedjet Crown is the headgear worn since immemorial time by the kings and symbol par excellence of Upper Egypt.

The crown is well known to us from the artistic representations, as for all the numerous types of crowns worn by kings, queens and divinities, however there is a complete lack of archaeological evidence: we still do not know with certainty with what materials they were made and their actual size.

It is assumed that the white crown was made of a wicker structure covered with white leather or linen.

Old Kingdom, 4th Dynasty, reign of Sneferu, around 2600 BC. Limestone, from Dahshur. Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. JE 98943