Painted limestone statuette of Tawaret. This figurine was donated to a woman named Taweret by her mother. She has one arm bent and a lotus bud in her uplifted hand, a gesture rarely seen in depictions of women. The lotus bud could refer to Taweret’s youth. This unopened bloom is rarely found in statues. As...
This statue of Chief Royal Scribe and Physician, Yuny was discovered at Asyut (Lykopolis) in 1913. The statue is made from limestone and dates from the reign of Seti I, 1294–1279 B.C. Yuny is portrayed kneeling, dressed in a nobleman’s robe, wig and sandals. His eyes and brows, which were originally created as inlays, have...
This small fragmentary head made from white limestone is clearly of the Amarna Period. During Akhenaten’s reign, royal portraiture witnessed significant changes., there are numerous sculptures of Akhenaten and his royal household which deviate from traditional depictions of the monarchy. Akhenaten is sometimes shown what some deem “androgynous” and highly stylized, with huge thighs, a...
Made of indurated limestone, this torso of Nefertiti was discovered in the remnants of the Sanctuary of the Great Aten Temple, possibly found within a pit just south of the temple, during the Petrie/Carter excavations, 1891–92. The statue would have been a part of a double statue depicting Nefertiti alongside her husband, king Akhenaten, making...
This double painted limestone statue depicts the King’s Acquaintances Memi and Sabu. This close up image showcases the craftsmanship of the Old Kingdom’s sculptors. The fine detailing of Memi’s layered wig, which envelops his head in an elaborate circular style, still has traces of black paint upon it, and the individual carvings of each strand...
This limestone piece, despite damage and missing aspects, depicts a scene of a man and a woman copulating. The man’s phallus is oversized, for symbolism, but the tenderness of the scene showcases an interesting and unique representation of erotic artworks from Ancient Egypt. As the couple lay upon their side facing one another, the man,...
Fertility was a very important and holy notion for the Egyptians and other ancient cultures. The Egyptian religion and other ancient religions from regions all across the world were essentially almost fully focused on the concept of fertility, with both the philosophy and practices, all coming down to maintaining agriculture, thus survival. In short, fertility...
This colossal limestone bust depicts a female figure wearing what is known as the ‘Hathor wig’, which has wide lappets on either side of the face that curve at the ends and a very broad lappet at the back. This sort of wig has been named after the goddess Hathor because it resembles her hairstyle,...
The White Chapel of Pharaoh Senwosret I, also known as the Jubilee Chapel of Senwosret I, was built during Egypt’s Middle Kingdom. During the New Kingdom, it was dismantled and used as filling for the Third Pylon of Karnak’s temple in the Amun-Re Precinct. The dismantled fragments were discovered inside the Third Pylon of Karnak’s...
This limestone striding figure of Nefertiti was unearthed in the archaeological remnants of the sculptor Thutmose’s workshop, within the remains of the same room (Amarna House P 47.02. Room 19) where the famous bust of the queen was discovered in 1912 by Ludwig Borchardt, at Tel el-Amarna. The figure was discovered in several fragments and...
