In the North Room of the Schenck House, where is the second built-in bed?
In the original Museum installation, there were two built-in bed boxes on the exterior wall of the North Room. When it was moved to its present location in 2006, it was decided that the bed box was more likely on an interior wall next to the hearth, as you see it now.
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Tell me more.
The god Nefertem, as you may have guessed from the large lotus flower on his head, is closely associated with this symbolic and fragrant flower. He is associated with creation because the sun is said to have first appeared out of a lotus flower and he is considered the patron of perfume.
What is he holding in his right hand?
This is a blade or weapon that Nefertem would use to defend Ma’at, the Egyptian concept of truth and balance in the universe.
Is he holding anything in his left fist?
There is a small cylinder in his fist. This is a common feature of ancient Egyptian statues, but scholars aren’t certain exactly what it represents. Some guesses are a rolled up prayer, an amulet, or even a stand-in for a longer staff.
What is that symbol on top of her head?
It is the goddess Hathor's typical headdress: a sun disk with a uraeus cobra between two horns!
It's a symbol of her connection to the life-giving sun and the god Re, while her cow head relates to her role as a fertility goddess.
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What materials and tools were these made with?
The larger figure to the right is made of plaster and was formed in a mold. It would have been painted as well, but much of the paint has come off. You can still see some in her hair.
What was the purpose of these sculptures? Were they important people?
These figures all had some kind of religious significance. Isis, represented in at least two of them, was one of the most important goddesses in the ancient Egyptian pantheon.
The larger limestone figure is also identified as a goddess, but without an inscription, headdress, or other defining attributes, so we can't be sure which one.
The headless figure is also difficult to securely identify, but the scepter she holds suggests that she represents either a queen or a goddess.
Why do they hold their chest?
The headless figure is simply holding her scepter close to her body, a useful feature in sculpture to make sure parts don't break off.
The two busts of Isis would have actually included a representation of her son, the god Horus, as an infant nursing. They are holding their babies to their chests.
Tell me more.
This fragment comes from a platform on which Akhenaten and Nefertiti (the King and Queen of the Amarna Period) made offerings to their principal deity, the Aten.
The object in Nefertiti's hands, that she is offering to the deity, looks like to two cartouches which contain names of the Aten. Based on an object found in Tutankamun's tomb, scholar's believe that this may represent a perfume container.
Why do the feet in the “Relief of Akhty-hotep” show only the arches?
Akhty-hotep's two left feet were a common feature of ancient Egyptian art. The ancient Egyptians were more interested in completeness and communication rather than realism.
Ancient Egyptians felt that this angle, showing the arch, was the most descriptive angle to show a foot and therefore rendered all two dimensional feet in this way.
If you take a look at the "Royal Feet" in the Amarna Period gallery, you'll notice that the royal woman is shown with two different feet, a unique feature of art during that time period.
Why is the hippo blue?
The blue color was associated with the marshes where the hippos lived, and where life is said to have originated according to Egyptian mythology.
