This wig made of human hair, also referred to as a “double/duplex wig” due to the two contrasting styles in one piece, would have been worn by a male of elite status in New Kingdom Egyptian society and was discovered in Thebes. The wig is made of real human hair, plaited and tousled, and its...
This statue of a man dating from the Late 5th Dynasty-Early 6th Dynasty, c. 2430-2195 B.C., is made of limestone and pigment of black and red still remains quite prominently upon the piece. Despite the lack of titles, the piece is clearly of the Old Kingdom style; rigid form, layered spiral-style cropped wig, a pleated...
This wooden statuette depicts a Middle Kingdom woman with a wig of plaited hair parted in the middle, creating a pigtail appearance. Her real hair can be seen within the middle part of the wig peeking through, with slight painted lines indicating hair strands. Such a hairstyle was usually associated with the goddess Hathor. The...
Family portrait featuring a male and two female figures. The man wears a plaited wig that is shoulder length. His ears are oversized, something that was seemingly ‘in fashion’ of the time in depictions of the human form. He wears a lengthy skirt or shenydt that wraps around him just above his hip, his hands...
This limestone statuette, despite its small size (h: 7.1 cm), showcases a charming scene of sentimentality. A woman does the hair of another woman who is nursing a son. The delicate detailing gone into carving the plaited hair and the remnants of paint tells us what care went into creating this piece. Pigments of yellow...
Standing at 48.30cm, this statuette of a man is carved from ebony and once had inlaid eyes and brows, likely made of glass or semi-precious stone. Upon the side of the striding man is a profile figure of a young boy. The man wears a shoulder-length wig parted in the middle. He is shirtless but...
With titles such as, “Overseer of the Bureau of Tentantry of the Court“, “Overseer of the Office of the Palace of Tenants”, “Liege of the King of the Great Palace”, Metjetji was clearly a wealthy man of elite status. It is believed he worked directly with the king and possibly played an important role in...
Chlorite head of a female sphinx with missing inlaid eyes, wig clip visible. Middle Kingdom, 12th Dynasty, c.1876-1842 B.C. Heliopolis, Egypt. Possibly found within Hadrian’s Villa, Rome, Italy. Brooklyn Museum. 56.85 Small details sometimes provide crucial clues to understanding a sculpture. On this object, for example, the back of the wig extends horizontally instead of...
Sepa was a priest who lived during the 3rd Dynasty of Ancient Egypt’s Old Kingdom (c. 2700-2620 B.C.) With titles such as, “Responsible for Royal Matters”, “Greatest of the ten of Upper Egypt”, “Priest of the god Kherty” and “Herdsman of the White Bull”, Sepa was clearly a man of status and importance within society,...
This mummy of a woman has a gilded, golden face and a wig of human hair adorned upon her head. Unfortunately, not much is known about this woman, only her head remains. Discovered in Egypt, bequeathed by (Major) Robert Grenville ‘John’ Gayer-Anderson, the head of the unknown woman now resides at The Fitzwilliam Museum, in...
