This is a bust of Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ in the form of Osiris πΉπ¨π (Osiride) and originally stood over 15 ππΎ feet high! This βstatueβ is originally from her temple πππ at Deir el-Bahri – this statue was not free-standing – it was actually carved from the blocks that were part of the temple πππ!!! Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ holds the traditional crook πΎ and flail π across her chest along with an Ankh πΉ and scepter π. She once wore the white crown π of Upper Egypt on her head.
About twenty ππ years after Hatshepsut π³π¦π died, these statues were cut off of the temple πππ and thrown into a pit towards the front entrance. There, these Osiride portraits of Hatshepsut π³π¦π remained buried until they were discovered by excavators from the MET in the 1930s.
This statue is very interesting because it was originally made for the pharaoh ππ» Amenemhat II ππ ππ ππ during the 12th ππ» Dynasty. However if you look at the hieroglyphs πΉππͺ, the cartouches of Rameses II can be read! The pharaohs ππ»π₯ used to recycle statues all the time – this is a process known as usurping (taking one pharaohβs monuments, erasing their name, and putting yours!). Itβs kind of like ancient plagiarism!!
This statue is made of granodiorite, a type of volcanic (igneous) rock. It was quarried at Aswan and then transported up the Nile to Memphis, where it was sculpted.
The statue of Isis π¨ππ₯ feeding Horus π π as a baby is one of the most popular images ππ ±ππ¦ of the Late Period through the Ptolemaic Period. Symbolically, Isis π¨ππ₯ was thought to be the mother π ππ of the pharaoh ππ» (The Divine Mother), and was often associated with motherhood π ππ, the protection of women, and a user of magic. As Isis π¨ππ₯ became a more popular religious figure, she was associated with cosmological order and was considered to be the embodiment of fate by the Romans.
This image ππ ±π of a mother π ππ holding a child is thought to have inspired the well known Catholic images of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus as a baby. The amulet ππͺπ and statue was very popular in Roman households, most likely as a symbol of motherhood and family. My Nonno always made sure to point these statues out to us, as he felt they were really important due to the likely influence on Catholic symbolism.
Who doesnβt have a fascination with King Tut??!! My Nonno had so many books on Tutankhamun ππ πππ ±ππΉπΎπΊπ and as a little kid I was enthralled by all of the pictures of the artifacts that were found in his tomb. I always loved hearing about how Howard Carter found and excavated the tomb ππ«ππ in the Valley of the Kings during the 1920s.
While to most this statue head may seem anti-climatic after seeing the Temple of Dendur, I have always loved it because it is a portrait of Pharaoh Tutankhamun ππ πππ ±ππΉπΎπΊπ. As a kid, seeing King Tut in the MET was just SO COOL. I still think itβs cool – even though Iβm an adult, I still canβt shake the child-like fascination I have with Tutankhamun ππ πππ ±ππΉπΎπΊπ
This limestone statue was made during Tutankhamunβs reign (18th Dynasty), and it shows that Tutankhamun ππ πππ ±ππΉπΎπΊπ brought back the old religion and traditional styles of Egyptian art and sculpture. The hand π§ππΊ that can be seen on the back of Tutankhamunβs head is the hand π§ππΊ of the god πΉ Amun ππ ππ. Since Amun ππ ππ (king of the gods πΉπΉπΉ) is touching Tutankhamunβs crown, it can be interpreted that Amun ππ ππ approved of Tutankhamunβs ππ πππ ±ππΉπΎπΊπ reign.
William the Hippo πππ― is kind of the unofficial mascot of the MET – probably because heβs so cute!
I always liked William because as a kid I was obsessed with the hippo πππ― that was in βItβs a Small Worldβ at Disney World! The first time I ever went to Disney at 4 years old I went with my Nonno and Nonna and Iβll never forget riding βItβs a Small Worldβ together and seeing the hippo πππ―!
William was made in the first part of the 12th Dynasty. In Egypt ππ ππ, hippos πππ―π¦ were both feared and respected πππ . They were feared because they were one of the most dangerous animals in the Nile Valley π. However, hippos πππ―π¦ were also thought to be powerful protectors π ππ‘π against evil! William has lotus flowers πΈπͺ painted all over him to associate it with rejuvenation! William is most likely painted blue π ππ to represent the Nile and rebirth.
Here is a small quartzite Sphinx of Thutmosis III π³π π£. This little statue is interesting for a couple of reasons. One of which is the way that Thutmosis III π³π π£ is commonly sculpted – he usually has a very child-like face. This is significant because it is thought that Thutmosis III π³π π£ was shown in a child-like way to visually justify the fact that Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ was co-ruler and then eventually the sole pharaoh ππ».
Another interesting point is the inscription, which reads: π€πΉ(π³π π£) π»π. βThe great God, Menkhepra, beloved.β
The part of the inscription where Amunβs ππ π name should be, has been erased. The inscription should read: π€πΉ(π³π π£) ππ π π»π βThe great God, Menkhepra, beloved of Amun.β
Why was Amunβs ππ π name erased? Well, we can thank Akhenaten ππππ³π ππ for that! When Akhenaten ππππ³π ππ banned the worship of the traditional pantheon, he tried to have Amunβs ππ π name erased everywhere!
When I was little I absolutely loved this stone ππππͺ (quartz) statue πππππΎ of a lion π³πΉπΏπ cub because it reminded me of Simba from The Lion King! Only the main features of the lion cub are seen, but it is clear that this is a statue πππππΎ of a lion π³πΉπΏπ. This cute little lion π³πΉπΏπ is from the First Dynasty! During the Pre-Dynastic through Early Dynastic periods, statues πππππΎπͺ of animals were usually smaller. This statue πππππΎ though is almost like a transition piece towards the larger and grander statues πππππΎπͺ of the later dynasties.
PernebΒ πππππ was a palace administrator during the 5th Dynasty, and he had his tomb ππ«ππ built at MemphisΒ π ππ€πππ΄πΒ (modern day Saqqara). This type of tombΒ ππ«ππΒ is commonly referred to today as a mastaba, but in ancient Egyptian times they were referred to as a βHouse of EternityΒ ππ.β The word βmastabaβ is Arabic for the word βbench,β and these tombsΒ ππ«πππͺ got their modern name ππ due to their rectangular structure and flat roofs!Β
During the Old Kingdom, the Pharaoh ππ» and the palace were pretty much the center of the government/society, soΒ PernebΒ πππππΒ held quite an important role, hence the exquisite tombΒ ππ«ππ!Β
I am standing inside the mastaba ππ ofΒ PernebΒ πππππ at the MET in front of his False Door! I will never forget seeing it for the first time with my Nonno – the first time I saw it, there was no glass on the reliefs! Seeing this for the first time will always be one of my greatest memories! I love being inside the mastaba ππ because I feel like I am in Egypt –Β ππ ππΒ I love being in tombs ππ«πππͺ!
False Doors are an extremely important part of ancient Egyptian funerary practices. False Doors served as ways for the living relatives to make offerings π΅ππͺπππ¦ to the deceased π ππ± and there is a spot at the base of the False Door where offerings π΅ππͺπππ¦ are meant to be left.
The False Door acted as a link between the land of the living πΉππ and the land of the dead π ππ±. The ancient Egyptians πππππͺ believed that the soul π of the deceased π ππ± could travel between the two lands πΏπΏ through the False Door. They are also known as βka π doorsβ or βsoul π doors.β
This striking statue ππ ±ππΎ of the great generalΒ ππ¦, PharaohΒ ThutmosisΒ IIIΒ π³π π£Β is hidden away in one of the minor galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
I find this piece to be so beautiful π€ because the whiteΒ πππ³Β limestoneΒ ππππ (it honestly looks like marble to me – but marble is metamorphosed limestone)Β contrasts so well with the blackΒ ππ Β paintΒ π¨ππ ±ππΈπ¦Β on the nemesΒ ππ π΄Β head cloth and the eyes πΉπ¦. Some redΒ π§πππ Β paintΒ π¨ππ ±ππΈπ¦Β can even still be seen on the UraeusΒ πππππΒ that is onΒ ThutmosisΒ IIIβsΒ π π π΄Β forehead!
Thutmosis III π π π΄ is one of Egyptβs ππ ππ most successful pharaohs ππ»π¦. He was only three πΌ years old when his father Thutmosis II π³π»π£π passed away, and was a co-regent with Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ before she completely took over the throne. During her rule πΎ, Thutmosis III π³π π£ was a member of the military and gained valuable experience that allowed him to be such a successful pharaoh ππ». He ruled πΎ Egypt ππ ππ for 54 ππππππ½ years, and was a very accomplished general ππ¦, having led troops into battle himself. Thutmosis III π π π΄ has been rumored to have never lost a battle!
This statue ππ ±ππΎ was found during excavations of Montuhotep IIβs π ππΏπ ±π΅ππͺ temple πππ at Deir el-Bahri. The face of this statue ππ ±ππΎ is not the original, it is a cast; the original face is in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo! The MET then made a cast of the torso of the statue ππ ±ππΎ, and that is now at the Egyptian Museum as well! So each museum has a real part of the statue ππ ±ππΎ, and a cast of the statue ππ ±ππΎ! The face and torso of the statue ππ ±ππΎ were not found at the same time, hence why they ended up in different places!
This piece is dated to the 18th Dynasty, c. 1479β1425 B.C.E. (New Kingdom).
TodayΒ ππππ³, we are going to travel all the way back to predynastic EgyptΒ ππ ππΒ (c.Β 3500-3300Β B.C.E.)! More specifically, this piece is dated to the Naqada II Period (also known as the Gerzean Period), which is a period of accelerated development in art and culture. This time period is when more elaborate pottery began to appear and people started to get buried in larger and more elaborate tombsΒ ππ«πππͺ! This was all before the firstΒ πΒ writingΒ πππ₯Β even appeared, which was during Naqada III (3200-3000 B.C.E.).
This piece of pottery π πππ is commonly referred to as βwhite cross-lined wareβ by archaeologists. Flinders Petrie, the first Egyptologist to try and date predynastic pottery, described white cross-lined ware pottery π πππ as being a reddish-brown or dark red π§πππ color that was decorated with white πππ³ images π ±ππ ±πͺ or geometric drawings. White cross-lined ware pottery π πππ is usually only found in Upper Egypt π, near Abydos ππππ and Naqada.
I absolutely love this piece of pottery π πππ because the cute hipposπππ―π¦ that are on it! The hippopotamus πππ― is one of the animals that appears frequently in early Egyptian imagery ππ ±π probably because the people of the Nile ππππ ±ππππΊ needed to always be on their guard in regards to hippos πππ―π¦ since they could dominate both the land πΎπΎ and the water π.
Even as ancient Egyptian culture evolved, Egyptians πππππͺ both feared and revered ππ΄πͺΒ hipposΒ πππ―π¦ due to their strengthΒ ππππΒ and power. WhileΒ hipposΒ πππ―π¦ were the most feared animals along the Nile, images π ±ππ ±πͺ of them could offer protectionΒ π ππ‘π, such as in the form of amuletsΒ ππͺπ πͺΒ which evolved much later.Β
