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Stela depicts priests carrying the bark of the king, and on the lower register female musicians playing with tambourines.
Limestone
New Kingdom, 19th dynasty
From Abydos
JE 8774
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
From at least the Badarian Period onwards, figurines of women, made of clay, wood, ivory, or stone were included among the funerary equipment. These were often highly stylized and generally emphasized one or more of the sexual characteristics. Until recently these figures were called erroneously "concubine figures" as they were thought to magically act as a sexual partner for the dead man. However, female fertility figures occur in burials of women as well as men. Accordingly, most Egyptologists believe now that the function of the female figurines within the tomb was to guarantee rebirth in the afterlife.
Terracotta
Antiquities Museum of Bibliotheca Alexandrina
The location of the cat mummy is unknown, so we don’t know if it was someone’s pet. Animals sacred to the gods were generally mummified, but mummies of animals kept as pets have also been found in graves.
Organic material, linen
Late Period - Greek Period
Provenance unknown
Cat. 2349/5 Museo Egizio
Egypt of Glory exhibition, Amos Rex Art Museum, Helsinki
From the collection of Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
9.10.2020-21.3.2021
The sides of the throne are decorated with a baboon; on the right side, he is holding a cosmetic pot of kohl eyeliner.
A detail of the group statue depicting a nurse and four princes and princesses.
Painted limestone
18th dynasty, no provenance
(JE 98831)
NMEC National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Fustat Cairo
Senenmut served as a close advisor and architect for the ruler, Hatshepsut. He was trusted enough to be the tutor of Hatshepsut's daughter, Neferura, who is shown with Senenmut in this statue. Senenmut designed and oversaw the construction of Hatshepsut's memorial temple at Deir el-Bahri and other buildings in Karnak temple.
Granite
18th dynasty
Karnak temple
(JE 36923 & CG 42116)
NMEC National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Fustat Cairo
Upon his arrival from the other world, the sun god purifies himself in the eastern horizon before his shining in Heaven, where the four gods Horus, the Lord of the North, Seth, the Lord of the South, Dewen-anwy, the Lord of the east, and Thoth, the Lord of the West, pour the water of life and power over him from the four corners of the universe.
This rare statue depicts king Amenhotep II, assimilated with the sun god in his shining in the moment of his purification on the horizon.
Alabaster
New Kingdom, 18th dynasty
Valley of the Kings, Thebes
NMEC National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Fustat Cairo
Pintura mural de la tumba de un rico contable llamado Nebamun construida alrededor del año 1350 a.C.
The breast and the shoulders are decorated with a broad falcon collar comprising several rows of mainly floral elements. The parts on the shoulders, each with six ornamental rows below a falcon head that is crowned by a uraeus in a solar disc. The figure on the right side was carved in raised relief, the one on the left was executed in sunken relief. Whereas this difference in styles may have been intentionally realized, the variations between a few of six ornamental rows on the right and left shoulders are more likely due to the fact that two different craftsmen worked on either side of the coffin.
Sarcophagus of Ahmose
Limestone
Provenance: Tuna el-Gebel
26th Dynasty
JE 51945, SR 5 12059
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
I can't find any info for this fragment, but the style and facial features point to the Amarna period.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a very similar, a little bigger piece with the text: 'A talatat depicting Nefertiti making offerings beneath the rays of Aten' The block was probably from the Mansion of the Benben at Karnak.
NMEC National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Fustat Cairo
The Senet is one of the oldest and most popular games among the Egyptians until the end of the Greco-Roman Period. It also had its religious symbolism through which the player could overcome the obstacles he faces in the other world which is very similar to the game "The Ladder and Serpent" in our modern age.
Faience
New Kingdom, 19th dynasty
Deir el-Medina
NMEC National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Fustat Cairo
The Naophorousor or Naos (Shrine) carrier statue is one of the prominent forms of late-period sculptures that emphasized the owner’s piety and connection to the gods.
This statue depicts the priest Psamtik-Seneb kneeling while carrying the naos of the god Atum, the procreator of all the gods and Lord of Heliopolis.
Limestone
Late Period
From Tanis
NMEC National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Fustat Cairo
.....per guardare la bellissima cupola della Real Chiesa di San Lorenzo, a Torino.
Explore: Aug 26, 2011 #209
Per onorare la vittoria sui francesi nella battaglia di san Quintino, 10 agosto 1557, giorno di San Lorenzo, Emanuele Filiberto e suo cugino, Filippo II di Spagna, promisero di dedicare una chiesa al santo. Il re di Spagna farà costruire una splendida basilixa all'Escorial, mentre il sovrano sabaudo, non potendosi permettere una nuova costruzione, fece ristrutturare una chiesa già presente nell'attuale piazza Castello e la intitola a San Lorenzo.
In questa prima chiesa la Santa Sindone trova la sua prima sistemazione quando viene trasferita da Chambery, ed è proprio in San Lorenzo che il cardinale san Carlo Borromeo potrà venerarla durante il suo pellegrinaggio a Torino. Circa un secolo più tardi, nel 1634, iniziarono i lavori per una nuova chiesa a San Lorenzo. Il progetto iniziale, poi rivisto da Carlo di Castellamonte, era di Ascanio Vittozzi. Ai lavori parteciperà anche l'architetto Guarino Guarini dopo il suo arrivo a Torino. L'inaugurazione della chiesa avvenne nel 1680.
Gli aspetti architettonici della chiesa sono molto rilevanti, nonostante che essa si presenti senza una vera e propria facciata che lasci intuire la presenza di una chiesa. Secondo alcuni la costruzione della facciata avrebbe rovinato l'estetica della piazza, altre versioni insinuano che la facciata non venne mai realizzata per mancanza di fondi. L'interno è illuminato da una cupola centrale, provvista di otto finestroni (numero simbolico nella tradizione cristiana, indica il giorno perfetto, il giorno della vittoria e del ritorno di Cristo, il giorno senza fine, dopo i nostri giorni ciclati sul sette, la settimana), sorretta da colonne ed attraversata da nervature che formano una stella a otto punte. Di particolare pregio e valore è l'altare maggiore, risalente al 1680. Il suo stile particolare lo rende uno dei più importanti dell'italia settentrionale. Sarà proprio l'abate Guarini, nel 1680, a celebrare la messa di inaugurazione della chiesa davanti alla famiglia reale.
Curiosità: per ricordare la vittoria a cui la chiesa è dedicata, ogni giorno alle 17.15 la campana batte 10 rintocchi.
... to watch the beautiful dome of the Royal Church of San Lorenzo, in Turin.
To honor the victory over the French at the battle of St. Quentin, August 10, 1557, day of San Lorenzo, Emanuele Filiberto and his cousin, Philip II of Spain, promised to dedicate a church to the Saint. The King of Spain will build a splendid basilixa at Escorial sabaudo ruler, while not being able to afford a new construction, renovate a church already exists in the current piazza Castello and the title of San Lorenzo.
In this first Church of the Holy Shroud is its first accommodation when it is transferred from Chambery, and in San Lorenzo Cardinal St. Charles Borromeo will venerate it during his pilgrimage in Turin. About a century later, in 1634, began work on a new Church in San Lorenzo. The initial draft, then revised by Carlo di Castellamonte, Ascanio Vittozzi era. The work will be also the architect Guarino Guarini after arriving in Turin. The inauguration of the Church occurred in 1680.
Architectural aspects of the Church are very relevant, although it is present without a proper facade that let perceive the presence of a church. According to some the construction of the facade would have ruined the aesthetics of the square, other versions suggest that the façade was never realized due to lack of funds. The Interior is illuminated by a central dome, with eight Windows (symbolic number in the Christian tradition, is the perfect day, the day of victory and the return of Christ, the day without end, after our days ciclati on seven, the week), supported by columns and crossed by ribs that form an eight-point star. Of particular value and value is the high altar, dating from 1680. His particular style makes it one of the most important of Northern Italy. It will be the Abbot Guarini, in 1680, to celebrate the inauguration of the Church in front of the Royal family.
Trivia: to commemorate the victory in which the Church is dedicated, every day at 17.15 beats 10 Bell Chimes.
Lamassu at the Gate of the Citadel of Sargon II, Dur Sharrukin (Khorsabad), Iraq. 742 – 706 BC, Musée du Louvre, Paris
File o Filé (en textos latinos: Philæ, Philae, Filae) era el nombre de una isla situada en el río Nilo, a once kilómetros al sur de Asuán, en Egipto. Fue célebre por los templos erigidos durante los periodos ptolemaico y romano dedicados al culto a la diosa Isis.
La isla de File quedó sumergida en el siglo XX bajo las aguas embalsadas por la presa de Asuán, aunque bajo patrocinio de la Unesco los templos fueron desmontados, trasladados y reconstruidos en el cercano islote de Agilkia.
This wooden box represents a typically Egyptian shrine or naos with its tapering walls.
The naos is covered with a flat lid guarded by a figurine of a mummified falcon, whose head is equipped with a hole in which was, most probably, fixed the feather headdress - a characteristic depiction of Sokar, patron god of the Memphite necropolis, who is often shown in this position on the roof of the tomb of Osiris. Thus, the shrine is associated with the famous Osireion.
Wood
Provenance Gamhoud, Beni Sueif
Roman era, 1st to 2nd cent. AD
BAAM 618
Antiquities Museum of Bibliotheca Alexandrina
A mummy of a woman wrapped in linen bandages and covered with five pieces of cartonnage. The first piece is a mask that covers the face, on which are represented the facial features: the eyes, nose, mouth and ears. Two curls of hair flank the mask and the face is gilded.
Mummy
Cartonnage and linen bandages
From Roman Period
Provenance Deir el-Bersha, Minya
BAAM 615
Antiquities Museum of Bibliotheca Alexandrina
These schematic models of houses with modelled clay offerings were placed in tombs of the Late First Intermediate Period and the Middle Kingdom to be given to the soul of the deceased. It illustrates the domestic architecture of the time.
Pottery
Middle Kingdom, 12th dynasty
Middle Egypt
NMEC National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Fustat Cairo
Table games were very much appreciated in ancient Egypt with the most popular being Senet. The game was for two people and played on a rectangular board with the upper surface divided into thirty squares; probably the game consisted of moving tokens around the board following the throw of small battens that corresponded to our modern dice. The lower surface of the board was used for playing the twenty-square game.
Tutankhamun had four senet boards of which the largest was the most lavish. The squares were inlaid with ivory and the board itself rests on a small frame with supports in the form of lion' paws and fitted with runners. The drawer on the short side was found empty and removed from its housing and, as the tokens were missing, it is supposed that they were made from a valuable material and stolen by the tomb thieves. The token shown in the picture belonged to other, less magnificent, boards.
During the New Kingdom, Senet took on a magical-religious value and in the introductory formula in Chapter 17 of the Book of the Dead, it was considered essential that the deceased played a game against an invisible opponent to ensure his survival.
Valley of the Kings, Tutankhamun's tomb KV62
18th dynasty
JE 62059 - SR 1/82 - 580
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
Funerary equipment of Sennedjem
New Kingdom, 19th dynasty
Tomb of Sennedjem TT1, Deir el-Medina
NMEC National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Fustat Cairo
A collection of amulets represented Bes, god of dancing, music and all kinds of pleasure, also worshipped as the protector of children and pregnant women. He is represented here as the dwarf with curved legs resting his hands on his thighs.
Antiquities Museum of Bibliotheca Alexandrina
A granite sarcophagus lid of dwarf Djeho was discovered at Saqqara by James Quibell in 1911.
The biography on the sarcophagus's lid tells us that Djeho was a dancer in burial ceremonies connected to the sacred Apis and Memphis bulls.
Djeho shared a tomb with his master Tjaiharpta, which indicates that he belonged to the household of a high official and had a favoured position with his patron.
The profile image of the dwarf depicts the owner at life size, measuring 120 cm. The naked figure of the dwarf is carved on the lid of his sarcophagus and is of superb quality.
From Saqqara
Late Period, 30th dynasty, Reign of Nectanebo II
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
Bovine-legged beds dating from the Predynastic Period onward have been found in the funerary context all over Egypt. In the Middle Kingdom coffins appear that seem to combine the rectangular coffins of that time with the lion bier. It is merely a logical development to add feline heads to the already lion-legged beds. In the Greco-Roman Period, they are no longer simple coffins or beds but combine features of both. (Ancient Egyptian Coffins, Strudwick & Dawson)
Mummy bed of Nedjemib, called Tutu
Late Ptolemaic Period
from Akhim
SR/ 11359/4
Upper floor, gallery 21
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
A statue depicting a man grinding grain that would be used to make bread that was a mainstay of the Egyptian diet.
Wood
Old Kingdom, 6th dynasty
Provenance Saqqara
NMEC National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Cairo
Organic material, linen
Greek Period
Egypt of Glory exhibition, Amos Rex Art Museum, Helsinki
From the collection of Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
9.10.2020-21.3.2021
The ibis bird was one of the most widely worshipped animals in Ancient Egypt. A huge number of ibis mummies dating from the Late and Greco-Roman Period bear witness to the great devotion to the god Thoth, usually depicted as an ibis-headed man and worshipped as the god of writing and knowledge.
Organic material, linen
Late Period
Egypt of Glory exhibition, Amos Rex Art Museum, Helsinki
From the collection of Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
9.10.2020-21.3.2021
Funerary equipment of Sennedjem
New Kingdom, 19th dynasty
Tomb of Sennedjem TT1, Deir el-Medina
NMEC National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Fustat Cairo
This shabti shows the king wearing a blue and gold striped nemes, with two flaps at the front and a uraeus. Tutankhamun holds a heqa sceptre and a flail. His thin face has slightly raised black eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes painted black and white, a small nose and a wide mouth with full lips. A usekh collar hangs around his neck. Six columns of hieroglyphs with Chapter 6 of the Book of the Dead cover the lower part of the statuette.
The term shabti derives from the ancient Egyptian meaning 'answerer', and refer to the moment when the deceased is called upon to perform hard labour in the fields of the underworld. The statuettes were considered to be substitutes for the deceased.
Tutankhamun's tomb contained 413 shabti figures, only relatively few of which were inscribed. Of the total number, 236 were found in the Annexe, 176 in the Treasury and just one in the Antechamber. They had originally been kept in wooden caskets with inlays of beaten gold or bronze. The shabtis were made from a variety of materials, including wood that was gessoed and painted, and stone.
The larger shabti figures varied in form, size and attributes. They were differentiated above all by their headdresses (the Red Crown of the North, the White Crown of the South, the nemes, the afnet headcloth and a type of cylindrical helmet) and inscriptions. The statuettes portray a figure with youthful features.
Wood, gold, bronze, height 48 cm
Valley of the Kings, Tutankhamun's tomb KV62
18th dynasty
JE 60828
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
Statues depicting workers in the bread industry grinding wheat on a plate to prepare flour.
Wood
Old Kingdom, 6th dynasty
Provenance Saqqara
NMEC National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Cairo
Block statue of a priest called Djed Khonsu Iou.ef Ankh seated in a squatting position and holding in his hands symbols of power and wealth. Six lines in relief cover the statue with the names and titles of the owner and his ancestors and prayers to the gods, and the back of the statue is also covered with hieroglyphic inscriptions. The priest wears a wig and appears serene. The base of the statue is covered with inscription offerings to the god Amun-Ra. The statue was discovered in the Karnak Cache.
The first examples of block statues date back to the Middle Kingdom. They continued to exist until the Late Egyptian Period. The massive form of the statues protected them from breakage. In addition, it offered a large surface for inscriptions. Some of these statues have simple offering verses or record an idealized version of the person portrayed, emphasizing his greatest virtues. Placing a similar statue of oneself within the temple was naturally a privilege reserved above all to those who performed some service directly for the god, namely priests.
The inscriptions on some of these statues indicate that reading the hieroglyphic text incised on the statue acted as a form of prayer for the deceased person represented. The pilgrim capable of reading would have performed a charitable act simply by pausing in front of the statue and pronouncing what is written. By invoking the name of the figure, his memory was thus perpetuated in the realm of gods, allowing him to make conceptual use of any offerings, which were his nourishment in the eternal afterlife.
Siltstone
Provenance Karnak Temple, Thebes
26th dynasty, reign of Psamtek I
BAAM 597
Antiquities Museum of Bibliotheka Alexandrina
On the outer surface at the sides is a rare portrayal is the deceased's funeral some 2900 years ago. It must be seen from the left to the right. After the weeper-women and the bearers of the grave goods, the series ends with the ritual of opening the mouth. The ritual is conducted in front of the grave by a priest of Sem, who restores to the deceased abilities he had in life: to be able to hear, speak, digest food, and procreate. At the extreme right, the wife of the deceased bids her last farewell to the mummy which is standing before the grave.
New Kingdom, 21st dynasty
Egypt of Glory exhibition, Amos Rex Art Museum, Helsinki
9.10.2020-21.3.2021
From the collection of the National Museum of Finland,
14460:660 Cat 173
The sides of the throne are decorated with a baboon; on the left side, he is holding a special mirror, called ankhet, which was associated with the ritual of rebirth and with sun symbolism.
A detail of the group statue depicting a nurse and four princes and princesses.
Painted limestone
18th dynasty, no provenance
(JE 98831)
NMEC National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Fustat Cairo
Sokar was the ancient celestial god of the Memphis region. He was associated with craftsmanship, which is why he is often united with Ptah, the god of craftsmanship and the chief god of Memphis. These gods were joined by another god, Osiris. Since the New Kingdom Ptah-Sokar-Osiris became almost more popular than Osiris himself. Books of the Dead were often hidden inside Ptah-Sokar-Osiris statues.
Wood
Late Period
Egypt of Glory exhibition, Amos Rex Art Museum, Helsinki
From the collection of Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
9.10.2020-21.3.2021
This group of statues portrays the family of Neferherenptah, a Wah priest who supervised the funerary cult of the two great kings of the Fourth Dynasty, Khufu and Menkaure.
Neferherenptah, also known as Fifi, the head of the family is represented as a characteristic pose for male statuary. His statue rests on a base that rises at the back to form a wide dorsal pillar. Both pillar and base are painted black although areas of this colour are now faded.
Fifi wears a medium-length curly black wig that covers his ears completely. A white and blue usekh necklace hangs around his neck. He is dressed in a short white kilt with a belt in relief at the waist. Fifi's plump face has large painted eyes with blue irises topped by long raised eyebrows that follow the shape of his eyes slanting gently down at the outer ends. His calm gaze appears to be directed heavenwards. His nose is fairly large and broad and a narrow moustache above his small, fleshy mouth provides a decorative touch.
Fifi's body is well proportioned and with visible if not prominent muscles. Regardless of its relatively small size and a certain rigidity of form, this statuette is an appealing example of the sculpture produced at the end of the Fifth Dynasty. Inside the serdab Fifi's tomb his statuette was placed in the centre, between his daughter (on the left) and his wife (right), while the couple's son was on the far side of his sister.
The statuette of Satmeret, Fifi's wife, stands on a low base with a dorsal pillar. Her rather stiff pose contrasts with the bright colours that are a striking feature of the statuette. Smaller in size than her husband, Satmeret is portrayed standing with her arms held rigidly against her body, hands on her thighs. She is wearing a medium-length black wig, its curls created with tiny grooves. On her forehead, her real hair can just be seen beneath the edge of the wig. The rigidity of her body is also reflected in her facial features: her wide-open eyes have dilated pupils, painted black. Her nose is short and her mouth appears to be firmly closed. Around her neck, she wears a multicoloured collar and a wide usekh necklace comprised of rows painted blue, white and red. Hanging from the necklace is another adornment: a wide rectangular band formed of rows of variously coloured beads, adding a colourful note to her white robe. The robe is tight-fitting and long, reaching to her calves. The fabric is meant to be flimsy and elegant, revealing the form of her body underneath. Her well-rounded breasts, stomach muscles and shapely legs - barely concealed - offer a striking, perhaps even deliberate contrast with the conventional posture and rigidity of the rest of the sculpture.
Although the statuette of Itisen, the couple's son, is smaller in size he is depicted as an adult rather than a child. He is sitting on a cube-shaped seat with a plinth but no back. His clenched right hand is placed vertically on his knee, his left hand is palm down. He is wearing a curly black wig, shorter than his father's, that follows the lines of his face. Around his neck is the white outline (not painted) of a broad necklace. He is clothed in a short white kilt with a pleated border, held up by a belt with a small piece of material projecting from it.
Itisen has a rather round face and large eyes with black-painted pupils surmounted by painted eyebrows in relief. His nose is neatly shaped, and his slightly protruding mouth is not wide but has fleshy lips. His slender neck is set on broad shoulders that contrast with his lean torso, divided vertically by a median groove that narrows noticeably towards the waist. Although thin his knees and legs are meticulously carved; their shape makes it possible to visualize the bone structure beneath. His skin is painted dark ochre. Like the statuettes of his parents, Itisen is also characterized by a marked rigidity of form, only partly relieved and brightened by the strong colours.
Of the four statuettes found in the serdab of Neferherenptah's mastaba, that of Meretites, sister of Itisen, is the most expressive. Admittedly it lacks much of the colour that in some way gives life and luminosity to the others, but the almost ecstatic look of Meretite's face and the soft lines of her body confer a particular elegance and hieratic grace. Slightly larger than her brother he is represented in the classic seated pose with her hands open, palms down on her knees. She is wearing an ankle-length robe and as a note of adornment, a broad, unpainted necklace. Covering her head is a rather voluminous, medium-length wig with tiny braids that start from a central parting. On her forehead, her real hair can just be seen beneath the edge of the wig. She is leaning her head very slightly backwards with the result that her rather wide face seems to be turned upwards. Her eyes too appear to be raised towards some unknown point and have an almost inspired look. Her nose is regular and her mouth, carved with soft, precise lines, has pronounced lips. Meretites has a straight back, less prominent breasts than her mother and more rounded torso and hips. She appears to have been fashioned in keeping with older aesthetic canons dating back to between the end of the Third and the beginning of the Fourth Dynasties.
(Egyptian Treasures from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, ed. Tiraditti)
From priest's mastaba tomb,
Giza cemetery
JE 87804, JE 87805, JE 87806, JE 87807
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
Hidden away in the hills of Northwest India, some 200 miles from the busy streets of Mumbai, emerge a magnificent jewel of art and religion: the Ajanta Caves. There are about 30 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments which date from the 2nd century BCE to about 480 or 650 CE. The Ajanta cave paintings and rock cut sculptures are described as among the finest surviving examples of ancient Indian art, particularly expressive painting that present emotion through gesture, pose and form. According to UNESCO, these are masterpieces of Buddhist religious art that influenced Indian art that followed. The caves were built in two phases, the first group starting around the 2nd century BC, while the second group of caves built around 400–650 AD according to older accounts, or all in a brief period of 460 to 480 according to Walter M. Spink.
Mural paintings survive from both the earlier and later groups of caves. Several fragments of murals preserved from the earlier caves (Caves 9 and 11) are effectively unique survivals of ancient painting in India from this period, and “show that by Sātavāhana times, if not earlier, the Indian painter had mastered an easy and fluent naturalistic style, dealing with large groups of people in a manner comparable to the reliefs of the Sāñcī toraņa crossbars”. Four of the later caves have large and relatively well-preserved mural paintings which, states James Harle, “have come to represent Indian mural painting to the non-specialist”, and represent “the great glories not only of Gupta but of all Indian art”. They fall into two stylistic groups, with the most famous in Caves 16 and 17, and apparently later paintings in Caves 1 and 2. The Ajanta frescos are classical paintings and the work of confident artists, without cliches, rich and full. They are luxurious, sensuous and celebrate physical beauty, aspects that early Western observers felt were shockingly out of place in these caves presumed to be meant for religious worship and ascetic monastic life.
The main colours used were red ochre, yellow ochre, brown ochre, lamp black, white and lapis lazuli which was imported from Northern India, central Asia and Persia. The green was made by mixing this lapis lazuli with Indian yellow ochre. In the pictorial cycles, all the characters are bright and multi-coloured but are never repeated, a fundamental concept in Indian art. Ceilings, walls and pilasters are all covered with overlapping figures, brought to life by the artists with strong and contrasting colours. The painting techniques at Ajanta are similar to European fresco technique. The primary difference is that the layer of plaster was dry when it was painted. First, a rough plaster of clay, cow dung, and rice husks were pressed on to the rough cave walls. This was then coated with lime juice in order to create a smooth working surface.
Source: www.openart.in/history/ajanta-cave-paintings-brief-note/
New Kingdom, 19th dynasty
Provenance: Thebes, Karnak / temple of Amun
Cat. 767 Museo Egizio
The exhibition 'Nefertari and the Valley of the Queens' from the Museo Egizio, Turin' in the Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg, 2017
Model of pottery building divided into three sections with small wall-mounted statues - similar to Osirion ones.
Pottery
Provenance Al-Qurnah
BAAM 810
Antiquities Museum of Bibliotheca Alexandrina
This granite statue of Tutankhamun was sculpted of granite and found in Karnak. It shows the king with a lock of hair (the sidelock of youth) at the side of his head and Uraeus, a cobra over his forehead. He is holding the djed pillar, the nekhekh flail and the heka crook; wearing the large pectoral and its counterpoise, all these emblems signify god Khonsu.
As a member of the Theban Triad worshipped at Karnak, Khonsu was the son of the god Amun and the goddess Mut. Khonsu was a moon god whose name means 'the wanderer'. This may relate to the nightly travel of the moon across the sky. Along with Thoth he marked the passage of time.
In addition, he was worshipped as the son of Sobek and Hathor at Kom Ombo, where he was associated with Horus and called Khonsu-Hor.
In art, Khonsu is typically depicted as a mummy with the symbol of childhood, a sidelock of hair, as well as the menat necklace with crook and flail. He has close links to other divine children such as Horus and Shu. He is sometimes shown wearing an eagle or falcon's head like Horus, with whom he is associated as a protector and healer, adorned with the sun disk and crescent moon.
Granite
18th dynasty
From the Temple of Khonsu at Karnak
(CG 38488)
NMEC 838
NMEC National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Fustat Cairo
This head of a colossal statue of Hatshepsut would once have crowned one of the Osirian pillars that decorated the portico of the third terrace of the queen's temple at Deir el-Bahri. It was discovered there in 1926 by the mission of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The portico was divided into two by a granite portal which preceded the 'Festival Hall', on to which opened the more intimate rooms of the temple and the sanctuary of Amun.
Some of the characteristic stylistic features of the statuary of Hatshepsut are present in this head. The face is triangular and the features are very delicate. The striking almond-shaped eyes, decorated with a line of kohl extending to the temples, have large dilated pupils, imparting a sense of innocence and purity. The slightly arched nose is long and slim. The small mouth is set in a faint smile. The same face is found not only on many other statues of the queen but also on those representing private individuals of the same period.
One unusual element is the dark red colour of the skin, usually a feature of male images, it is justified in this case by the fact that the queen is represented here as a pharaoh in Osirian form. The false beard painted blue emphasizes the divine nature of the 'king'. The blue colour of lapis lazuli, together with gold, signified divinity.
From what remains of the queen's headdress, it can be deduced that she wore the Double Crown symbolizing the union between Upper and Lower Egypt.
JE 56259 A - 56262
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
This gilded cartonnage mask shows Yuya wearing a long wig. His eyebrows and eyes are inlaid with blue glass, marble and obsidian. He wears an elaborate collar that goes beneath his wig. It consists of eleven rows of golden beads and it ends in teardrop-shaped pendants. The inside of the mask is covered in bitumen.
Titles of Yuya:
King’s Lieutenant
Master of the Horse
Father-of-the-god
18th dynasty
From the Valley of the Kings, KV46
Tomb of Yuya and Tuya
Upper floor, gallery 43
CG51008 - JE 95316-SR93
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
The sarcophagus has a polished surface carved in a fine sunken relief, providing many details in each figure. On the surface of the relief, unpolished parts appear in a whitish shade on greywacke, so the relief stands out against the black background. The face is rather flat and round and has a beard with a detailed interior structure; the chin rests on the chest. Calves are merely indicated, the foot is vaulted and has a rounded plinth.
The decoration consists of eight scenes on the front, foot and plinth of the lid and is separated from the face and wig by a pt-hieroglyph with 29 stars inside.
The top register is formed by a winged protective goddess, below are the three forms of the sun god. The other elements are Isis and Nephthys on the left and right side, the ba-bird, usually hovering over the mummy, here on top of the text, the protective deities, and the jackal gods at the foot.
Material Greywacke
Date Ptolemaic Period
Provenance Saqqara
(AUC Press Archaeological Reports edited by Christian Leitz, Zeinab Mahrous, Tarek Tawfik 'A Selection of Ptolemaic Anthropoid Sarcophagi in Cairo')
TR 3 / 3 21 / 1
Egyptian Museum, Cairo