Head of Queen Hatshepsut (?)
Unknown Artist
c. 1479–1457 BCE
Medium
graywacke
Dimensions
{"overall":{"height":0.162,"width":0.149,"depth":0.178}}
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust
Accession Number
1917.976
About this artwork
Tuthmosis III was still a child when he came to the throne, so his stepmother and aunt, Hatshepsut, assumed the reins of government, first as regent, then as full-fledged king beside him. This beautiful head represents either Hatshepsut or Tuthmosis III, whose facial features are notoriously difficult to tell apart. They ruled together for 22 years, and presumably the same sculptors worked for them both. Very likely the sculptors themselves did not know whose statue they were working on until th...