Upper Part of a Statue of a Royal Woman or Goddess

Upper Part of a Statue of a Royal Woman or Goddess

Period:Middle KingdomDynasty:Dynasty 11Reign:Mentuhotep IIDate:ca. 2030-2000 B.C.Geography:From Egypt, Upper Egypt; Thebes, Deir el-Bahri, temple of Nebhepetre Mentuhotep IIMedium:Limestone, paintDimensions:12 3/16 × 9 1/2 × 5 5/16 in. (31 × 24.2 × 13.5 cm)Credit Line:Collection des Musées d’art et d’histoire de la Ville de Genève

Fragments of similar female statues were found in the Mentuhotep temple, all lacking divine or royal emblems or identifying inscriptions. The sculptures cannot originate from the interiors of the queens’ shrines because they were too small to accommodate them. Their date is also insecure; based on comparisons to other sculptures, they may be late Twelfth or even early Eighteenth Dynasty works. This woman’s left arm angles away from her body, suggesting she originally held hands with a divinity or the king.

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