Head of Queen Hatshepsut

Queen Hatshepsut is the most famous female ruler of ancient Egypt.

This head, which is one of the masterpieces of Eighteenth Dynasty sculpture, is part of a statue that once represented the queen in the shape of the god Osiris.

The head, made out of painted limestone, bears all her distinctive feminine features: the gently curved eyebrows, the wide eyes extended by cosmetic lines, the delicate aquiline nose, the full cheeks, and the gracious mouth.