Head of a Queen
ca. 1479-1425 B.C.E.
Maker Unknown
Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
The vulture was associated with several important goddesses. This sculpture depicts a so-called vulture cap: the bird’s oval body sits at the top of the wearer’s head and its outspread wings sweep down beside the face. The vulture’s tail is indicated in back, but its head has been replaced by a royal uraeus-cobra over the forehead. A queen would have worn such a headdress on top of a voluminous wig.
The head shows some of the Middle Kingdom influence that is so pronounced in early Eighteenth Dynasty art under Ahmose and Amunhotep I. Other details—such as the shapes of the eyes and eyebrows—indicate that the head was carved later, to represent either the wife of King Thutmose III or his mother, Queen Isis.
The head shows some of the Middle Kingdom influence that is so pronounced in early Eighteenth Dynasty art under Ahmose and Amunhotep I. Other details—such as the shapes of the eyes and eyebrows—indicate that the head was carved later, to represent either the wife of King Thutmose III or his mother, Queen Isis.
- Maker/Artist
- Maker Unknown
- Classification
- Sculpture
- Formatted Medium
- Quartzite
- Medium
- quartzite
- Locations
- Place made: Egypt
- Dynasty
- Dynasty 18
- Period
- New Kingdom
- Dimensions
- 10 13/16 x 12 3/16 x 10 3/16 in. (27.5 x 31 x 25.8 cm)
- Accession Number
- 65.134.3
- Credit Line
- Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund
- Exhibitions
- Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity, Realm of Marvels: Building Collections for the Future, Ancient Egyptian Art
- Rights Statement
- Creative Commons-BY
- Museum Location
- Old Kingdom to 18th Dynasty, Egyptian Galleries, 3rd Floor
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