The Majestic Hatshepsut!

What a majestic view! 

This large red granite 𓅓𓌳𓏏𓎶 sphinx 𓎛𓅱𓃭𓏤 of Hatshepsut 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 is not in the “Hatshepsut Gallery” (as I like to call it) at the MET – in fact, she is right next to the Temple of Dendur! Dendur is located in Nubia, and is just south 𓇔𓅱𓏏 of Aswan 𓋴𓃹𓈖𓏌𓏲𓊖. 

I find the location of the sphinx 𓎛𓅱𓃭𓏤 an interesting placement in the museum because the temple 𓉟𓏏𓉐 and the sphinx 𓎛𓅱𓃭𓏤 are from two 𓏻very different time periods in Egyptian history. The temple of Dendur was built by Augustus 𓉐𓉻𓀀 and building was completed by 10 B.C.E.,  while Hatshepsut 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 ruled 𓋾 during the New Kingdom. This sphinx 𓎛𓅱𓃭𓏤 was sculpted during the joint reign 𓋾 of Hatshepsut 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 and Thutmosis III 𓇳𓏠𓆣 c.1479–1458 B.C.E.

The Sphinx 𓎛𓅱𓃭𓏤 was one of six 𓏿 large sphinxes 𓎛𓅱𓃭𓏦 that would have lined her temple 𓉟𓏏𓉐 at Deir el-Bahri. It is made of red granite 𓅓𓌳𓏏𓎶, which was mined at Aswan 𓋴𓃹𓈖𓏌𓏲𓊖 and then transported ~500 𓏲𓏲𓏲𓏲𓏲 miles up the Nile 𓇋𓏏𓂋𓅱𓈗𓈘𓈇𓏺. Red Granite 𓅓𓌳𓏏𓎶 is a super dense rock 𓇋𓈖𓂋𓊪 so this was not an easy task! 

This is a large and absolutely beautiful 𓄤 piece in real life. Hatshepsut 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 is depicted wearing the nemes 𓈖𓅓𓋴 head cloth and the false beard – typical fashion for a pharaoh 𓉐𓉻! The sphinx 𓎛𓅱𓃭𓏤 was a very popular way for a pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 to be represented, and this practice occurred for thousands 𓆼𓆼𓆼 of years. While the most famous sphinx 𓎛𓅱𓃭𓏤 is the great sphinx 𓎛𓅱𓃭𓏤 of Khafre 𓇳𓈍𓆑 at Giza, there are so many other wonderful sphinxes too 𓎛𓅱𓃭𓏦!