Early cards from the 'Musee de Boulag', Ralph & Co., Cairo

                                                           Statue of Thothmes 111

                                                                   

          " This statue was found by M. Legrain at the Temple of Karnak. Thothmes has here the peculiar facial type so characteristic of the representations of the period, in which the eyes are almond-shaped and slightly drawn down at the inner corners. This must have been the type common at that time in the royal family; for it would otherwise be difficult to understand why the artists of the period should have shown such a strong preference for it over the other Egyptian types. Even at the present day, this very Thothmes face with its strong high nose extending down a bit beyond the nostrils, may often be seen in Egypt especially in the Theban neighbourhood."     
                        
                                                      Statue of Prince Menthesuphis

                                                                

           "The group of which this statue is a part was found by Mr. Quibell near the foundations of the early temple of Hieraconpolis where it had been intentionally buried in ancient times. Made of beaten copper, the statue shows complete mastery of the material. The soft lines of the youthful prince could hardly have been better executed in wood. He is walking, happy smiling, beside the dignified figure of his royal father, Pepy. As eldest son and heir apparent to the throne, his forehead is already adorned with the royal cobra (uraeus). But the cobra was probably of gold and therefore removed before the burial of the statue. The ears also which must have been visible under the short hair, have been torn off. But this mutilation does not detract from the effect of the head. The Museum authorities have had the wisdom to refrain from any attempt at removing the thick patina. The present artistic effect of the slightly indistinct features would thereby have been lost; and a much less correct impression of the original, conveyed by the corroded copper surface underneath."

                                                     Statue of a Ramesside Queen

                                                                  

       " Tradition and the influence of forms sanctioned by tradition played a great part in the treatment of statues designed for a place in a temple. The influence of tradition was still greater when the person portrayed was represented in his ceremonial insignia. In such cases, even the modern world clings to the ancient forms or even seeks to revive disused older forms. So this statue of a Queen of the time of Ramses 11 found by Prof. Petrie in the Ramesseum shows the archaistic tendency of statues made under the influence of tradition. Although the heavy golden necklace, the large earrings and the great wig with its multitude of little plaits, are part of the fashion of the time, the rest of the costume consists of ancient, almost prehistoric symbols the wearing of which was a peculiar right of Queens of Egypt. On the forehead, two cobras (uraeus-serpents) stand erect, - one with the red crown of Lower Egypt, the other with the white crown of Upper Egypt. On the head is a crown made of a band of erect cobras each bearing a sun's disk on its head. The greater emblems which rested on this crown have mercifuly disappeared or they might seriously distract the attention from the soft modelling of the Queen's face. The nose is unfortunately broken off. The artist in this case produced a remarkable result with the simplest means. A line in the eyelid, a pair of them in the neck, and otherwise smooth surfaces, work together to form a lovely lifelike woman's face. "                                               
                                                      Head of the Goddess Mut

                                                                 

            " The Egyptians have not only conceived a number of their gods in anthropoid form; but each Egyptian artist has even given them the likeness of the royal family of his day. Curiously enough this very statue was for a long time considered to be a portrait of a princess of the 18th Dynasty, although the head-dress indicates clearly the contrary. Afterwards however, a number of additional fragments were found by M.Legrain which prove conclusively that this is a statue of the goddess Mut. As it is a colossal statue, the artist has very skilfully taken into consideration the fact that the face would be seen from below. He has made the eyes look down and set the ears high in order to preserve in appearance the proper proportions."
                   
                                                       Statue of the Village Sheikh

                                                                 

                "This statue was found by Mariette in the funerary chapel of a tomb of the fifth dynasty at Saqqara. The use of the wood, perhaps the most tractable of material at the service of the Egyptian sculptor, has in this case enabled the artist to produce the greatest imaginable likeness to life. The statue shows a stout, jovial official of the name of Ka-oper in the attitude so often shown in the reliefs where well-to-do people are represented inspecting their flocks and fields. The good-natured expression of the face is rendered very life-like by the clear eyes, made of inlaid quartz and crystal; and the likeness to life is increased by the absence of the artificial head-dress which makes so many Ancient Egyptian portraits look strange to us. The erect head, with its high finely modelled forehead surrounded with short slightly wavy hair, with its full cheeks, rounded nose and slight double chin, presents a type often seen today among the more prosperous peasant landowners. It was this fact which led Mariette's native workmen, always quick to note individual characteristics, to call this statue 'the village sheikh'."  
                                                                                                                

                                                                        
                          Sesostris 1                      Ranofer (VDyn)                         Ti (VDyn)

                                                               
                     Amenhotep,Hapu                Dedefre (1VDyn)                     Ramses V1

                                                                     
                      Deir-el-Bahri cow               Mask (XIXDyn)                        Khnumhapi

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