The pectoral of Tutankhamun looks at first glance to be presenting the goddesses Wadjet and Nekhbet, the symbols of Upper and Lower Egypt, standing on either side of Osiris. However, the hieroglyphic inscriptions beside them state that they are in fact Isis (next to the vulture) and Nephthys (next to the cobra). Goddess Isis wears...
This yellow-brown quartzite head of a princess is probably Meritaten, the eldest daughter of Akhenaten. It was excavated by the Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft in 1912 in a studio of the chief sculptor Thutmose at Tell el-Amarna. The head is from a composite statue where different pieces were sculpted separately and joined together. The skull is elongated...
This statuette depicts king Tutankhamun upon his funerary bed. The king is shown mummified in the Osiride royal form, with his hands crossed over his chest. Tutankhamun is lying on a splendidly decorated funerary bed decorated with two lion’s heads. The bed is engraved with funerary formula and prayer to accompany the king upon his...
The gold funerary mask of Tutankhamun is an example of the highest artistic and technical achievements of the ancient Egyptians in the New Kingdom. The exact portrayal of the king’s facial features achieved here made it possible for his soul to recognize him and return to his mummified body. Thus ensuring his resurrection. After being...
This granite head of Queen Tiye shows the queen wearing a huge wig, surrounded by the wings of the protective vulture. Over the forehead are two cobra heads and one vulture. The uraeus cobra on the right wears the Red Deshret Crown of Lower Egypt, and the cobra on the left probably wore the White...
Sculpted from an alabaster block, this altar was used either as a sacrificial altar or a libation table. It is decorated with the forms of two lions, whose front and back paws are beautifully defined. The altar slopes downward towards a circular basin, around which the tails of the lions are curled. Magical offering formulas...
This unfinished brown quartzite head of Queen Nefertiti, the beautiful wife of King Akhenaten was part of a composite statue. Each element was sculpted separately to be later assembled into one statue. As it remained unfinished, the head retained the guiding lines of the sculptor: the eyebrows were marked with brown and the eyes with...
In this example of a block statue made of granite, Hotep is wearing a smooth, flaring wig with a slight central parting that leaves his protruding ears exposed. In contrast with the modeling of the body the face, with its soft, delicate lines, is carefully finished. The eyes, with the typical eye-paint, are large, the...
This alabaster vase is connected with the Heb Sed festival, during which the king would repeat his coronation rituals by sitting on the thrones of Upper and Lower Egypt – seen here at the base of the handle. These thrones were within a pavilion on a stepped platform that symbolized the primeval mound of creation....
This wooden head is a part of a composite princess statue. The parts of this statue were sculpted separately and then assembled. Small details sometimes provide crucial clues to understanding a sculpture. It is believed to have belonged to a princess or even a queen of the 12th Dynasty, based on the fine depiction of...
