Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection Berlin

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Collection:

Sculpture

One special feature of the museum is the are the large amount of sculptures exhibited.

The statues and portraits dating from the period of the Pyramids to the Roman Period permit an impressive confrontation with the ancient culture, with gods, pharaohs and queens, famous historical personalities, and also with ordinary people.

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The Scribe Dersenedj
The Scribe Dersenedj
Old Kingdom; Dynasty 5, ca 2400 B.C.
Pink Granite
Height 68 cm
Memphis
Inv.-No. ÄM 15701

The scribe of the granaries Dersenedj is seated, cross-legged, on the floor with an unrolled papyrus on his lap. His right hand is holding an imaginary reed pen. This statue type - the scribe - is known since ca. 2600 B.C. and represents an official of the Egyptian state with the ability to read and write.
Characteristic for the Old Kingdom is the muscular compressed body, the roundish face without wrinkles and the striated wig. This statue which was created for the grave of Dersenedj is not a portrait but instead presents an ideal 'type' which will continue to live in the netherworld.
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Hellenistic Ruler
Head of a Statue of Ptolemy´ X
Ptolemaic, 2nd century B.C.
Pink granite
Height 26 cm
Inv.-No. ÄM 14079

This portrait with beard, curly hair held by a diadem and grim facial expression, might at first view remind of a roman emperor. For this reason it was at first considered to be the roman emperor Caracalla. However the material, the back pillar and the remains of a royal inscription permit the statue to be assigned to an Egyptian king.
Through comparison with representations on coins it was possible to assign this statue head to the ruler Ptolemy X. The Ptolemais ruled Egypt after its conquest by Alexander the Great in 332 B.C., until the conquest of Egypt by Rome (ca. 30 A.D.). They continued pharaonic traditions and legitimized their rule in part by following the canon of ancient Egyptian art.
Sesostris III

Head of a Statue of King Senusret III
Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12, ca. 1850 B.C.
Pink Granite
Height 21 cm
Thebes/Karnak (?)
Inv.-No. ÄM 9529

The head wearing the white crown of upper Egypt is part of a standing figure of the king. Eventhough the original inscription is missing the statue can be assigned to King Senusret III due to the characteristics of the very individualized face: the half open eyes, the heavy eyelids, the strong cheekbones and the sunk cheeks as well as the turned down corners of the mouth.
Both king Senusret III and his son Amenemhat III, two singular personalities of the Middle Kingdom, are traditionally shown with these characteristics.
Teje

Portrait of Queen Tiy with a Crown of Two Feathers
New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, ca. 1355 B.C.
Yew-wood, silver, gold and faience
Height (including headdress) 22,5 cm
Medinet el Gurob
Inv.-No. 21834, 17852

Tiy was the spouse of King Amenhotep III and mother of Akhenaten. This small portrait was probably produced in the last years of rule of her husband because the queen is shown at an advanced age. The artist produced a realistic face which captures the personality of Tiy: Intelligent, determined and assertive, all qualities which are also evident through historic-literary sources. After the death of Amenhotep III and still in the lifetime of Tiy the head was reworked, the originally head scarf of silver with the gold uraeus was covered with several layers of linen which were decorated with small faience beads. A crown consisting of a sundisc, cow horns and a pair of feathers was added separately.
This type of crown is usually worn by goddesses or deified queens. By adding this crown to the statue Akhenaton raised his mother, already in her lifetime, into the realm of a goddess.
The crown was rediscovered in our collection after having been separated from the head for many years .
So-called 'Green Head' . Head of a statue of a priest

Berliner 'Green Head'
Late Period, Dynasty 30, ca. 350 B.C.
Greywacke
Height 21,5 cm
Inv.-No. ÄM 12500

The characteristics of Late Period sculpture including the perfect rendition of the face and delicate smoothing of the surface can be seen here. This head of a statue of an aging man also reveals his character: Reserved, knowledgeable, experienced and of strong determination.
Other facts such as name and titles are unfortunately not known since the back pillar is not engraved, however the shaved head indicates a representation of a priest.
Mask from the workshop of the artist Thutmosis

Mask from Amarna
Portrait of a Man
New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, ca. 1340 B.C.
Gypsum
Height 18 cm
Amarna
Inv.-No. ÄM 21356

This life-size mask is one of a series from the workshop of the artist Thutmoses in Achet-Aton (today called Amarna), in Middle Egypt, which was the capital of Egypt during the reign of Akhenaton and Nefertiti.
This portrait study gives a unique view of the work technique of the artist; first a form was taken directly from the sitters face and a gypsum copy was made from the mould. The copy was then finished by the sculptor in various details, especially the eyes since these had to be closed when the mask was taken from the face.
In these rare instances we are directly confronted with 'real' people even if we do not know their names or anything else about them.
Sachmet

Standing Figure of the Lionheaded Goddess Sekhmet
New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, ca. 1360 B.C.
Granite
Height 215 cm
Thebes/Karnak, Mut-district
Inv.-No. ÄM 36

Egyptian art creates, through the fusion of a human body with the head of an animal, a being which does not exist in the real world and is thereby able to symbolize the invisible divineness. The significant characteristics of the animals are assigned to the gods: The lioness is connected with strength, wildness and aggressiveness but also known for the strong love and protective instincts toward its young. Sekhmet is therefore associated with war and pestilence but also seen as a protectress of Egypt and healer of sicknesses.
She carries in her right hand the 'ankh' sign for life and in her left hand the 'Was'-sceptre, a symbol for health.
This sculpture was one of 700 statues of the goddess which were erected in the Mut-Temple in Karnak and in the funerary temple of King Amenhotep III who hoped to be cured of a tumour.
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