Statue of a woman

Statue of a woman

This statue of a woman from the second half of the Ptolemaic Period is striking on account of its rather unnatural proportions. The volume of the head is magnified by the wig. The length of the body is short, the small of the back narrow, the arms very long, and the hips and thighs plump. The woman wears three items of clothing over one another: a dress, the upper edge of which is visible at the top of the neck, a skirt which covers the body below the chest, and a shawl thrown over the shoulders, the fringes of which hang down over the right arm. She wears jewellery, mostly of Greek style, consisting of a collar of rounded beads, bracelets on her arms, large arc-shaped earrings, and a diadem. The back pillar bears a single vertical column of hieroglyphs giving the name of the owner and her parents.

Present location KMKG - MRAH [07/003] BRUSSELS

Inventory number E.5335

Dating PTOLEMAIC PERIOD

Archaeological Site UNKNOWN

Category FIGURINE/STATUETTE

Material LIMESTONE

Technique HEWN; ENGRAVED; SCULPTURED

Height 35.7 cm

Width 10.8 cm

Translation

Words to be spoken by Taisis, daughter of Paheb, true of voice, born of Apollonia.

Bibliography•L. Speleers, Recueil des inscriptions égyptiennes des Musées Royaux du Cinquantenaire à Bruxelles, Bruxelles 1923, 95 nº 356

•De vrouw in het rijk van de farao's. Zes kunstwerken uit de Egyptische verzameling van de Koninklijke Musea voor Kunst en Geschiedenis - La femme au temps des Pharaons. Six oeuvres d'art de la collection égyptienne des Musées Royaux d'Art et d'Histoire (Exposition), Bruxelles 1985, 14-15 n° 102

•F. Lefebvre et B. Van Rinsveld, L'Égypte. Des Pharaons aux Coptes, Bruxelles 1990, 170

http://www.globalegyptianmuseum.org/detail.aspx?id=767

Ty mastaba

Left (west) part of the wall

A group of officials head towards the entry of the chapel. On the left are two sub-registers, the top one containing a monkey being led on a lease by a dwarf waving a stick (or possibly a sceptre) in his hand. Below are two hounds with pointed ears and curly tails, again on leashes, being led by a naked young man. On the left, at the end of the main parade is: (1) "a follower". Next is (2) "the overseer of linen", then (3) "a hairdresser", then (4) "a manicurist", next (5) "the porter of the seal". In front of him is another (6) "follower" and finally (at the front) is (7) "an archivist".

wall

The mastaba-tomb of Ty , in Saqqara, is one of the most famous of the Old Kingdom, remarkable for the diversity and relevance of topics, as well as for the quality of execution of its reliefs and their state of conservation.

The mastaba, identified as N°60 (according to Jacques de Morgan) or D22 (according to Mariette), is situated a few hundred metres to the northwest of the step pyramid of Djoser and about 150 metres from the entranceway leading into the Serapeum. The Serapeum is the set of underground galleries (catacombs) where the Apis bulls were buried, considered to be sacred as the living image of the god Ptah of Memphis. (The Serapeum, currently closed for reasons of security, being deemed as unsafe, is under restoration/conservation and should open again shortly: drhawass.com).

osirisnet.net

Slipper Coffin Lid

Slipper Coffin Lid

This coffin lid is made out of terracotta and marks on the inside show that it was made on a wheel. Slipper coffins were first popular in Palestine. Some Egyptians then adopted them as a fashion for their own burial. They are called slipper coffins because, apart from the lid, they were made in one piece and the mummy slid into them rather like a foot into a slipper. The lid then closed the gap to fully seal the coffin.

Production Period:

New Kingdom

Material(s):

Pottery

http://www.bmagic.org.uk/objects/1974A51

© Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery

Cippus of Horus

Cippus of Horus

These were placed in people's houses as a magic charm for keeping out wild animals and other nasty things. On the front it depicts the god Horus as a child. He is conquering crocodiles, snakes, scorpions and other animals. On the back there is a magic text to ensure that nothing evil enters the house.

Production Period:

Late Period

Medium:

Probably limestone?

http://www.bmagic.org.uk/objects/1969W3075

© Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery

stelae

Stelae were often placed in temples as an offering so that the god would answer your prayers. Some worshippers, as here, carved ears on their stelae in the hope that the god would hear their prayers better. So that the god knew who was calling they also usually wrote their name on them. This one was 'made by Ta-wahy'.

Production Period:

New Kingdom

Material(s):

Limestone

© Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery

http://www.bmagic.org.uk/objects/1969W72

xcavations Between Abu Simbel and the Sudan Frontier,

Excavations Between Abu Simbel and the Sudan Frontier, Part 9: Noubadian X-Group Remains from Royal Complexes in Cemeteries Q and 219 and Private Cemeteries Q, R, V, W, B, J, and M at Qustul and Ballana. B. B. Williams. 1991.

https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/oine9.pdf

hippopotamus

The hippopotamus was a symbol of the god Seth, the evil brother of Horus.Although they are no longer native to Egypt in ancient times hippopotami lived along the banks of the river Nile. Religious scenes often show the king spearing a hippopotamus, symbolic of the mythical fight between Horus and his brother Seth. On the other hand, in the form of the goddess Taweret, hippopotami signified fertility and protected pregnant women.

Presented by the Trustees of the Wellcome Trust, 1969.

Accession Number:

1969W3636

Production Period:

New Kingdom

http://www.bmagic.org.uk/objects/1969W3636

Birmingham Museum

Birmingham Museum

Birmingham Museum

http://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/bmag/highlights/ancient-egypt

Creativity and Innovation in the Reign of Hatshepsut.

Creativity and Innovation in the Reign of Hatshepsut. Edited by José M. Galán, Betsy M. Bryan, and Peter F. Dorman. 2014.

https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/saoc69.pdf

Relief of a Queen or Goddess

Relief of a Queen or Goddess
Ptolemaic Period, 305–30 BC
Sandstone
2005.5.4...
Gift of Dr. and Mrs. L. Franklyn Elliott

This relief depicts a queen or goddess wearing a broad collar with one strap of her dress visible below the rows of beads. The echeloned curls of her tripartite wig are surmounted by a vulture headdress, with the bird’s head jutting forth from her brow.
The vulture headdress became an attribute of royal women in the Old Kingdom, originally linking the queen with Nekhbet, the tutelary goddess of Upper Egypt, although it came to be associated with other goddesses. When worn by royal women, the headdress was likely intended to underscore the divinity of the queenship. Though princesses holding religious office and noblewomen were portrayed in the vulture cap during the New Kingdom and Third Intermediate Period, its use was again limited to queens and goddesses in the Ptolemaic era.
The lower edges of an additional crown, perhaps the Red Crown of Lower Egypt or the Double Crown, are visible atop the vulture headdress. Queen Arsinoe II (279–270 BC) was frequently depicted wearing a combination crown composed of a vulture headdress, Red Crown, ram and cow horns, and solar disk. Both queens and goddesses might appear in the Double Crown, signifying the unity of Upper and Lower Egypt. In this instance, the lack of context or inscription precludes a definitive identification of the woman as royal or divine.
http://carlos.emory.edu/content/relief-queen-or-goddess

Boat stand of King At lanersa

Boat stand of King At lanersa

Nubian

Napatan Period, reign of Atlanersa

653–643 B.C.

Sudan, Gebel Barkal, temple of Atlanersa and Senkamanisken (B 703), room 2 . 1916: Excavated by the Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA in the division of finds by the government of Sudan.

(Accession Date: August 1, 1923)

Harvard University—Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition

http://www.mfa.org/node/9458

Leg from a funerary bed

Leg from a funerary bed

Nubian

Napatan Period, reign of Shebitka

698–690 B.C.

Description

The upper portion of the bed leg grows out of the back of a goose, which nestles down on the box support. Its feathers were finely chased after the form was cast. The head and pointed beak are examples of particularly fine artistic and technical workmanship.

The significance of this motif lies in one of the god Amun’s many divine forms. In Egypt, from the New Kingdom on, he is often represented as a goose. Furthermore, in the Pyramid Texts of the Old Kingdom, the deceased utters the desire to ascend to heaven as a goose. And in New Kingdom royal tombs, wooden figures of geese are found among the images of deities buried with the deceased in order to accompany him to the next world. (Sudan catalogue)

Bronze. In form of a goose sitting on rectangular pedestal with post rising from its back. (Card)

Provenance

From el-Kurru, tomb 72. 1919: excavated by the Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA in the division of finds by the government of Sudan.

(Accession date: December 31, 1921)

http://www.mfa.org/node/9458

Winged goddess pectoral

Winged goddess pectoral

Nubian

Napatan Period, reign of Piankhy (Piye)

743–712 B.C.

Description

Amulets like this one were found in the burials of early Napatan queens. Made of blue-green glazed faience, they depict a nude, winged, lion-headed goddess crowned with a sun disc and uraeus. The wings bend sharply downward, and on each arm is a uraeus crowned with horns and a sun disc. The identity of he goddess is uncertain. A hieroglyphic inscription runs down the back.

Provenance

From el-Kurru, Ku 51 (unidentified queen of Piankhy). 1919: excavated by the Harvard University–Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA in the division of finds by the government of Sudan.

Dimensions

Height x width: 8.5 x 6.2 cm

Accession Number

24.616

Medium or Technique

Faience

http://www.mfa.org/node/9458

Mask of Queen Malakaye

Mask of Queen Malakaye

Nubian

Napatan Period, reign of Tanwetamani

664–653 B.C.

Gilded silver mask of Queen Malakaye who wears a striated wig and broadcollar.

Provenance

From Nuri, pyramid 59 (tomb of Quen Malakaye). 1918: excavated by the Harvard University-Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition; assigned to the MFA in the division of finds by the government of Sudan.

(Acession date: March 1, 1920)

Harvard University—Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition

http://www.mfa.org/node/9458

Dish in the Form of a Trussed Duck

Dish in the Form of a Trussed Duck

Cosmetic dishes in the form of trussed ducks were made throughout the Eighteenth Dynasty, This example shows the bird with its head turned back; the duck's openwork neck forms the handle of the dish.

MEDIUM Alabaster or aragonite

•Place Made: Africa

DATES ca. 1336-1327 B.C.E., ca. 1327-1323 B.C.E., or ca. 1323-1295 B.C.E.

DYNASTY late XVIII Dynasty

PERIOD New Kingdom

DIMENSIONS 2 7/8 x 5/8 x 5 3/4 in. (7.3 x 1.6 x 14.6 cm) 2 11/16 x 5 15/16 in. (6.8 x 15.1 cm)

https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/3062

Alabaster toilet dish in the form of a trussed duck. Head curved and joined to front of dish with openwork neck forming handle. Wings and feet incised on underside of dish. Eyes inlaid with black substance. This may be a cover for a stone vessel, which was probably intended to hold paint. Condition: Perfect. One edge of interior of dish has slight depression with brown stains.

Head of an Egyptian Official

Head of an Egyptian Official
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
On View: 19th Dynasty to Roman Period, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor
...

During the Ptolemaic Period (332–30 B.C.), when Egypt was ruled by a family of Greek descent named Ptolemy, large numbers of Greeks moved to Egypt, where many served as government officials. We cannot know, therefore, whether this striking head, from an over-life-size statue, represented a Greek or a native Egyptian, especially since its striking features are a blend of Egyptian and Greek styles. The short curls, for example, are a simplified rendering of a Greek hairdo, and the large, deep-set eyes derive from images of Alexander the Great. But the facial modeling, with its folds and furrows, has many precedents in Egyptian art, as does the narrow, sharply outlined mouth. We may see here the beginning of a mixed Greco-Egyptian style, which was soon to disappear when the Romans conquered Egypt
https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/3647
MEDIUM Diorite
•Possible Place Made: Mitrahina
DATES ca. 50 B.C.E.
PERIOD Ptolemaic Period
DIMENSIONS 16 5/16 x 11 1/4 x 13 7/8 in. (41.4 x 28.5 x 35.2 cm)

Statuette of a Female Acrobat

Statuette of a Female Acrobat

By placing a sculpture of an acrobat in his tomb, Sa-Inher declared that he had sufficient wealth to enjoy such diversions throughout eternity. This acrobat is portrayed performing a backbend. The figure’s head was missing when the tomb was excavated; most likely it was broken by grave robbers. The red lines on the woman’s body represent a network of beads or body paint.

MEDIUM Limestone

•Place Excavated: Tomb D303, Abydos

DATES ca. 1938-1630 B.C.E.

DYNASTY XII Dynasty-early XIII Dynasty

PERIOD Middle Kingdom

DIMENSIONS 4 × 2 × 7 in. (10.2 × 5.1 × 17.8 cm)

https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/3083

Limestone statuette, in the round, of nude female dancer performing a funerary dance (the Khetebt). Body bent backward. Face up, with hair touching base, body supported by arms which rest on oblong uninscribed base. Traces of red paint on body. Condition: Entire head missing from top of neck to lower part of hair. Body has been assembled and there are minor chips on arms. Mediocre workmanship. Red lines on body apparently indicate a bead network. Traces of black paint at base of hair indicate that it was painted black.

tomb of Rekhmire

A detail of a wall painting in the tomb of Rekhmire showing musicians playing the harp and the lute. Country of Origin: Egypt. Culture: Ancient Egyptian. Date/Period: 18th dynasty c.1425 BC. Place of Origin: Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, West Thebes. Material Size: Wall painting on plaster. Credit Line: Werner Forman Archive/ E. Strouhal . Location: 118.

Lunette of the stela of Tetisheri

Lunette of the stela of Tetisheri

Cairo Museum

CG 34002

Pasenhor Stela

The so-called Pasenhor Stela, commemorating the death of an Apis bull in year 37 of Aakheperre Shoshenq (V). The Apis was enthroned in year 11 of the same pharaoh. Pasenhor was a priest of Ptah lived in this period. Reign of Aakheperre Shoshenq (V), 22th dynasty, Third intermediate period. Found in the Serapeum of Saqqara, now in the Louvre Museum (S 1959).

Auguste Mariette (1821-1881) - Le sérapéum de Memphis, découvert et décrit par Auguste Mariette (1857) available here, pl. 31

upper part- stela

Upper part of a stela showing a standing man adoring Ra-Horakhty who holds a was-sceptre. 19th Dynasty. From Egypt. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London

Stela showing "Isis the Great Goddess"

Stela showing "Isis the Great Goddess" sitting and holding a was-sceptre. A man, the head of necropolis workers, adores her. From Egypt, Middle Kingdom. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London

Ptolemy IV Philopator

Crowned head of Ptolemy IV Philopator. Country of Origin: Egypt. Culture: Ancient Egyptian. Date/Period: Ptolemaic period, 221-205 BC. Place of Origin: Alexandria. Material Size: Granite. Credit Line: Werner Forman Archive/ Graeco-Roman Museum, Alexandria, Egypt. Location: 83.

Unusual ointment container in the form of a bird with a horse's head

Unusual ointment container in the form of a bird with a horse's head. Country of Origin: Egypt. Culture: Ancient Egyptian. Date/Period: 26th Dynasty, c 664 - 525 BC. Material Size: white faience, l = 6.5 cm. Credit Line: Werner Forman Archive/ Musee du Louvre, Paris . Location: 38.

coffin of Gua

Detail from the floor of one of the coffins of Gua, chief physician of Djehutyhotep, governor of Bersha.The paintings recall the 'Book of Two Ways', modern name for the map and accompanying texts of passage past the obstacles of afterlife. Country of Origin: Egypt. Culture: Ancient Egyptian. Date/Period: Middle Kingdom, 12th Dynasty,. Place of Origin: Beshra 1985-1795 BC. Material Size: Cedarwood. Credit Line: Werner Forman Archive/ Egyptian Museum, Cairo . Location: 39.

vignettes from the Book of the Dead of Neferrenpet

Book of the Dead of Neferrenpet