Egyptian statue bust / sculpture - Goddess - Ancient Egypt 18th dynasty art

Goddess statue fragment - 18th dynasty

Dimensions :-

Head Height - 26 cm / 10 1/4 inches
Head Width - 27cm / 10 3/4 inches

On offer here is a major piece of Egyptian sculpture that will offer a tactile experience and invoke a sense of awe for the viewer. Just under life size it was once part of a seated statue of a goddess and the face is serene and beautiful.
This will make for a striking display option amidst your existing collection or a stand alone feature piece.

Made of a limestone and quartzite composition stone it has been carefully aged to give the look and feel of antiquity.

* The statue bust is very heavy. Too heavy for Australia post to accept when travelling together with other pieces. Therefore combined postage is not offered for this item.

Background information
The identity of this statue fragment is difficult to determine without inscriptional evidence or the presence of held amulets or a headdress. It can only be narrowed down to a group of goddesses that were revered during the 18th dynasty and favored during the Thutmoside era in particular.
Alternatively it could represent a Queen but the absence of rishi (feathered) pattern over the hair lappets may discount this option but it is still possible. Certainly it was made in a royal workshop as it has remnants of the protective cobra on the brow and the size of the statue was not something taken on by non-royal workshops.

Facially it has stylistic traits that link it to the Thutmoside era...Thutmose III, his son Amenhotep II and even Queen Hatshepsut.
Statues made during the reigns of these monarchs share traits that are present in this example.
The size of the wig, the bridge of the nose, the lips and most importantly the eyes point to a most likely placing in the reign of Amenhotep II.

It must be noted that the royal workshops were a tight unit and artists that were working for one king would likely transfer their services to the new king.
Each reign produced sculpture that was quite distinctive to describe the king in a new state sanctioned style. More often than not, the face of the king was used for statues of gods and noble men. In addition, feminized versions of the king were transposed onto goddesses and noble female statuary.

However, individual methods developed over an artist's lifetime would still be present when put to work for the subsequent ruler when engaging in the task of royal portraiture. An artistic lag is never really discussed but it is certain that the early years of a new reign produced works that possessed old and new traits.

The Thutmoside era has proven to be difficult for some statues to be correctly identified.
My personal opinion for this example is the reign of Amenhotep II as it can be directly compared with a small royal portrait in the Munich museum that looks like it was made by the same hand. The profile is the key.