Mud Brick Stamped with the Throne Names <i>Aa-kheper-ka-re</i> (Thutmose I) and <i>Maat-ka-re</i> (Hatshepsut)
Unknown Artist
ca. 1479–1458 B.C.
Medium
Mud
Dimensions
L. 12.5 × W.10 × H.6.5 cm (4 15/16 × 3 15/16 × 2 9/16 in.)
Classification
Brick, Aakheperkare (Thutmose I), Maatkare (Hatshepsut)
Period
New Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of James Douglas, 1890
Accession Number
90.6.42
Art Historical Context
This unassuming mud brick, stamped with the throne names *Aa-kheper-ka-re* (Thutmose I) and *Maat-ka-re* (Hatshepsut), offers a tangible link to one of ancient Egypt's most dynamic eras. Dating to around 1479–1458 B.C. during Dynasty 18 of the New Kingdom, it measures a modest 12.5 × 10 × 6.5 cm, yet it speaks volumes about royal authority and monumental construction. In the New Kingdom, pharaohs like Thutmose I—known for expanding Egypt's empire—and his daughter Hatshepsut, Egypt's powerful female king, commissioned vast temples and palaces. Mud bricks, molded from Nile silt and sun-dried, f...