Hatshepsut - Egyptian temple relief sculpture fragment of Egypt's great Queen

Hatshepsut
Deir el Bahri temple fragment

Dimensions :-

Height - 39 cm / 15-1/4 inches
Widith - 29 cm / 11-1/2 inches
Depth - 2.5 cm / 1 inch

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** This piece is only available on special order- please allow up to three weeks for this piece to be completed upon finalization of purchasing.

On offer here is an exclusive lightly painted edition of a beautiful representation of Queen Hatshepsut. This large, raised relief replica derives from her temple precinct at Deir el Bahri on the west bank of ancient Thebes / Waset - modern day Luxor. Considerably well preserved the original fragment still shows the battle scars of age. The rough edges of the original fragment are protected by a squared matrix.

Made of a limestone and quartzite composition stone, this fine fragment has been carefully painted and aged so that it appears ancient to look at and to touch.
Subtle paintwork can be seen in the collar and other pigments of flesh tone and mineral blues, black yellow and white can be seen faintly.
This method of painting has been chosen to mimic the reality of the other surviving painted carvings in the upper courts of her great mortuary temple.
A high strength wire loop on the back enables a wall display option.

Background information
She wears a diadem that features the cobra entwined around what would have been a gold band, here painted yellow that traditionally represents gold in painted reliefs. At the end of this band, at the back of the head, the remnant curve of a lotus flower decoration remains and retains just a hint of blue.
She wears a short braided wig surmounted by the remains of a likely 'Atef' crown which is usually composed of a solar disc, ostrich feathers and horizontal ram's horns. The latter can be seen at the top of the carving.

She wears a false beard - the first and only Queen to do so. This was to help visually communicate her equality with the male Kings that preceded her.

A sash of alternating red, blue and green panels worn over the shoulder terminates in a triple Ankh motif. The Ankh - one of Egypt's most iconic hieroglyphs and a symbol of life and fertility in this case used to the power of three.

A hand rests on her shoulder and would have belonged to a god or goddess comforting and leading her.

Hatshepsut is one of the most well documented of all Egyptian royal personalities. Her peaceful reign and vigourous architectural building projecst have left a legacy that is most impressive and stylish.
Much loved today, Hatshepsut is one of the first icons of feminine power in the realm of the male dominated ancient world.