The statue of Ankhemtenenet is a fascinating piece of Egyptian art from the Third Intermediate Period (around 743-656 BC). It was crafted from red quartzite, a stone prized for its durability and deep red hue, which likely helped preserve its features over millennia. Ankhemtenenet was likely a high-ranking official or a priest, though details about...
Demedji was an Official during Egypt’s Old Kingdom, specifically during the 5th Dynasty, c. 2494–2345 B.C. While not much is known about his exact position, the hieroglyphic inscriptions on this Statue of Demedji and Hennutsen indicate that he held an administrative or bureaucratic role, likely within the royal court or a provincial government. His titles...
In ancient Egypt, clappers, carved from materials like ivory or wood, were percussion instruments used in rituals and ceremonies, often linked to the goddess Hathor. Found in a coffin at Amarna, they served not only musical purposes but also held symbolic significance in religious contexts, particularly during worship and festivals.
This handle likely belonged to a whip or perhaps a fly whisk. Intricately carved from a piece of ivory, it takes the form of a galloping horse. The ivory is stained reddish-brown pigment, with a painted black mane. A wonderful addition is the featuring of garnet inlays for the eyes—one of which is now missing,...
This anklet belonged to Princess Sithathoriunet, a figure from ancient Egypt’s Middle Kingdom, specifically the 12th Dynasty, dating back to 1887-1813 BC, indicating its historical significance. One of two amethyst and gold anklets which were likely worn by the princess during a religious ritual or state ceremony. Princess Sithathoriunet was an ancient Egyptian royal figure,...
Two puppies stand side by side with slightly lowered heads, as if hesitating to approach some problem or adversary they cannot yet handle. They must have belonged to a subregister of a larger composition-perhaps a hunt in the desert. The impression of overlap is achieved by the use of incised lines that slope up into...
This wig was found lying behind the head of Nauny’s mummy in her inner coffin. From Egypt, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Deir el-Bahari, Tomb of Meritamun (TT 358, MMA 65), inside coffin, MMA excavations, 1928–29. The wig is made from plaits of human hair, which were fastened at the top with a cord. The hair was...
This fragment of a clay jug with the head of a smiling woman, would have been used as a pouring vessel, and was typical of the style of the 18th Dynasty, c. 1479–1352 B.C. It is thought such vessels would have been associated with motherhood, midwifery in particular. Usually, such vessels would be carved in...
Purchased in Cairo by Nicholas Tano in 1922, this Egyptian Alabaster goblet is formed and detailed in the shape of a lotus flower. Both the throne name, “Nefer-kheperu-Re, beloved of Re” and personal name of Amenhotep IV (later Akhenaten) are engraved on the side of the chalice, between two cartouches encircling the early titulary of...
In this relief Amenemhat I is shown celebrating his thirty-year jubilee (Sed Festival), ritually demonstrating that he was still vigorous and fit to rule. The king is flanked by the jackal-headed god Anubis and the falcon-headed Horus, deities closely associated with coronation rituals; each god offers him an ankh, the hieroglyph for life. To the...
