Raised Relief of a Goddess or Queen

This work’s style of high, rounded relief and soft bodily proportions is characteristic of Ptolemaic art. The base of a crown is visible on the figure’s head along with a cobra at her forehead. She wears a long hairstyle and a dress that ends in a scalloped hem. One hand is raised, perhaps in worship of a divinity. The other hand holds the ankh-sign, the hieroglyph meaning “life.” The headgear, clothing, and hand gestures could characterize either a queen or a goddess. Since Ptolemaic queens were sometimes considered deities, this relief could represent both.