In ancient Egypt, statuary played a significant role in their culture and religious practices. Statues were commonly used to depict gods and goddesses, kings and queens, and other important figures. These sculptures were often made from various materials such as stone, wood, or metal. They were crafted with great attention to detail and were believed to house the spirit like ‘ka statues‘, or essence of the depicted individual. Statues were placed in temples, tombs, and other sacred places, serving as a focal point for worship and offering a physical representation of the divine. The art of statuary in ancient Egypt reflected their beliefs, rituals, and societal hierarchy.
Carved and delicately painted, this limestone figurine showcases a mother dog nursing her five pups. Upon a vibrant yellow backdrop, the mother dog is collared and her lead/leash cascades to the floor in a decorative spiral. Her teets are depicted 2-dimensional against the raised limestone 3-dimensional effect of the pups and mother herself. Her face...
This head of a priest, called the Boston Green Head, is the best portrait sculpture known from the Late Period. The face is wonderfully lifelike and individual. Light wavy lines indicate the furrows of his brow, and crow’s feet radiate from the outer corners of his eyes. The top of his nose has a pronounced...
Antinoüs (Antinous. Antinoös. Greek: Ἀντίνοος) was a Greek youth, born in Claudiopolis (present day Bolu, Turkey), in the Roman province of Bithynia et Pontus. By 128 A.D., he had become the Roman Emperor Hadrian’s favourite and lover. Little is known about Antinoüs other than his connection to Hadrian, however, he became a legend after his...
This fragment of a statue base shows a Syrian man’s head and shoulders. He wears a fringed robe embroidered with rosettes and has long hair and a headband. He also has a beard and a moustache, something that Syrians were usually depicted with. The man’s complete figure was positioned flat on his belly, his back...
Made of glazed steatite, often known as soapstone, and at 29cm tall, this figurine shows Queen Tiye in full royal regalia. She is pictured wearing the double-plume crown, with a triple uraeus upon a falcon-winged headpiece cascading over her extravagant and expansive wig. A finely detailed usekh collar is worn around her neck and rests...
Tjetji is shown in the classic pose of a standing official, with his left leg advanced, a long staff in his left hand, and a sekhem scepter (now lost) held horizontally in his right hand. The arms of this statue were made separately and pegged to the body, and the feet tenoned into a separate...
Karomama Meritmut (prenomen: Sitamun Mutemhat) was an ancient Egyptian high priestess and “God’s wife of Amun”, during the 22nd Dynasty. She is perhaps the same as Karomama, the daughter of king Osorkon II, who was represented in the king’s sed-hall and succeeded Henuttawy as High Priestess. Furthermore, Karomama, daughter of Osorkon is portrayed in the...
This statue depicts a king, almost certainly Akhenaten, and is made from yellow limestone. The king holds the heqa scepter (crook and flail), and is seated upon a cushioned throne, wearing a pleated linen kilt, and a striped nemes headdress with the royal insignia of a uraeus upon the centre of his forehead. Often overlooked...
This painted limestone statue of a woman named Ta-Seket was discovered within Tomb Y 524 at Hu. Hu, Huw or Hiw (Arabic: هُو, Coptic: ϩⲱ, ϩⲟⲩ)is the modern name of an Egyptian town on the Nile, which in more ancient times was the capital of the 7th Nome of Upper Egypt. Hu was the centre...
The Ba is a part of a person’s non-physical spiritual nature. After death, the Ba might leave the tomb, but it had to return to the tomb on a regular basis to reconnect with the mummy. The Ba was frequently shown as a bird with a human head, and occasionally with human arms. This Ba...
