In this rare granite ensemble from Medinet Habu, king Ramesses III stands majestically between two ancient rivals, Horus and Seth; gods far more accustomed to crossing spears than sharing a plinth. All three figures rise to roughly equal height, carved fully in the round, their left legs striding forward in timeless assertion. The pharaoh, clad...
Queen Meritamen was both the daughter, and sometime after the death of Nefertari, her mother, became the Great Royal Wife of her father, Ramesses II. The painted decorations of this statue fragment is still well preserved. Her smile, in particular, is similar to that on a number of statues of Ramesses II. On top of...
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 Mummy of Amenhotep I was originally buried at Dra’ Abu el-Naga’. During the 21st Dynasty, the mummy, which was in poor condition, was moved to the Deir el-Bahari Royal Cachette (DB320). The mummy was carefully wrapped in bandages and covered with a mask, which is still in place together with garlands of flowers. An...
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...
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...
Aker appears as a pair of twin lions, one named Duaj (meaning “yesterday”) and the other Sefer (meaning “tomorrow”). Aker was thus often titled “He who’s looking forward and behind”. Lions were widespread in prehistoric times and still present in the Nile Valley in the late Pharaonic history. The lion was an important element in...
