NEW KINGDOM, LATE 18TH-19TH DYNASTY, CIRCA 1390-1186 B.C.

Probably once forming part of a pair statue of husband and wife, this head of an elite woman displays many of the hallmarks of the style of the end of the 18th Dynasty, established during the reign of Amenhotep III: an oval face with distinct chin, large sculpted eyes and eyebrows, and an elaborate wig featuring a floral headband. Her face is framed by three curving rows of braids carefully rendered in sharply zigzagging curls, while the remainder of the braids fall in vertical tresses. A surviving portion of the back pillar records the phrase “Mut the Great,” referring to the divine consort of Amun, but possibly forming part of the woman’s name or titles.