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 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...
This seated scribe statue is considered to be the icon of all scribe statues and one of the most important symbols of sculpture at the Egyptian Museum. It is called the “Cairo Scribe” and is carved in painted limestone. It was unearthed in 1893 at the Saqqara necropolis. The scribe wears a wig with a...
This black granite statue of Amenemhat III as a priest, of which only the torso remains, was discovered in 1862 by Auguste Mariette in the ancient capital of the Faiyum Oasis, known by the Greeks as Crocodilopolis. The king is dressed as a priest, evidenced by the leopard skin and paw over both shoulders. He...
The granite sphinx of Amenemhat III was discovered at Tanis (today San al-Haggar). It shows Amenemhat III with a human face and a lion’s body, in other words, a perfect creature, as intelligent as a human being yet as strong as a lion. Seven sphinxes of Amenemhat III were found in Tanis in the eastern...
This wooden Ka statue with rock-crystal quartz eyes was excavated in 1894 in the tomb of king Hor Awibre or Hor I that was found by a team of excavators under the direction of the archaeologist Jacques de Morgan. His tomb is located north of the pyramid complex of Amenemhat III at Dahshur. The wooden...
This little head, filled with astounding detail, depicts Queen Tiye, one of Ancient Egypt’s most powerful queens. Tiye was a formidable character, and held positions of power that not many other Great Royal Wife’s before or after her reign managed to grasp. Her husband, King Amenhotep III, erected several shrines to a temple dedicated to...
In this portrait head, King Amenhotep III is portrayed with the features of a young boy; he has a round full face, almond-shaped eyes, curved eyebrows, a small nose and a fleshy mouth. These features determine that the head belonged to the so-called “second group” of portraits of Amenhotep III, from the last years of...
A statue of a cat feeding one kitten and playing with another is shown lying on a sarcophagus designed to store the mummified remains of cats. Cats were commonly portrayed in Egyptian art, especially during the Saite period, which was characterized by numerous images of animals in general. When represented, the cat-shaped statues was most...
