Fragment from the Head of a Queen's Statue

Middle Kingdom

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 111

The vulture headdress identified the woman who was depicted on this fragment as an Egyptian queen. Above the ear and around the forehead is a band from which rows of small feathers emerge, followed by the bird’s long wing feathers, which cover the top of the head. At the back of the head, one of the vulture’s legs is preserved, its claw clutching a shen-(dominion) hieroglyph. The lady wears the vulture headdress over a wig arranged in horizontal waves, a hairstyle that was common only in the early Old Kingdom. Its appearance here underlines the venerable nature of the queen’s costume.

Fragment from the Head of a Queen's Statue, Granodiorite

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Fragment from the Head of a Queen's Statue, Granodiorite
Fragment from the Head of a Queen's Statue, Granodiorite
Fragment from the Head of a Queen's Statue, Granodiorite
Fragment from the Head of a Queen's Statue, Granodiorite

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