Head from a Statuette of Queen Tiye
رأس تمثال صغير للملكة تي
18th Dynasty · New Kingdom · c. 1355 BCE
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Details
In Egypt- Where to see it
- Distributed: Egyptian Museum Cairo / GEM; the most famous example is the painted yew-wood head at the Neues Museum, Berlin
- Found at
- Grand Egyptian Museum
- Type
- statue
- Material
- yew wood (Berlin example)
About this object
A small but extraordinary portrait head of Queen Tiye, Great Royal Wife of Amenhotep III, sculpted in painted yew wood with silver and gold inlays — the unflattering, sharp-featured face is one of the most lifelike royal portraits to survive from Egypt.
Current location
Distributed: Egyptian Museum Cairo / GEM; the most famous example is the painted yew-wood head at the Neues Museum, Berlin
In the site
Grand Egyptian Museum, Amarna-era royal portrait gallery (also a famous yew-wood example at the Neues Museum, Berlin)
Materials
yew wood (Berlin example), ebony, silver leaf, lapis lazuli, linen
Dimensions
H 9.5 cm (Berlin) — originally part of a small composite statuette
Provenance
Found in 1905 by Ludwig Borchardt at Gurob (Medinet Ghurob), the harem-palace residence frequented by royal women. Reworked at least once: the original head-covering was modified after Tiye outlived her husband.
Depicts
Sourcing
Phase 0 hand-curated — pending Egyptologist review
Citations
- · Borchardt, L. (1905). Excavations at Gurob.
- · Kozloff, A. (2012). Amenhotep III: Egypt's Radiant Pharaoh.
- · Wildung, D. (2009). The Head of Queen Tiye. Neues Museum.
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