Sphinx of Hatshepsut - NYC, NY - Sphinx Sculptures on Waymarking.com

This colossal sphinx portrays the female pharaoh Hatshepsut with the body of a lion and a human head wearing a nemes–headcloth and false beard. The sculptor has carefully observed the powerful muscles of the lion as contrasted to the handsome, idealized face of the pharaoh. It was one of at least six granite sphinxes that stood in Hatshepsut's mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri.

The sphinx has a long history in Egyptian art, the most famous example being the great sphinx at Giza which represents the Fourth Dynasty King Khafre who lived almost a thousand years before Hatshepsut. Sphinxes representing other pharaohs may be seen throughout the Egyptian galleries.

Hatshepsut ruled Egypt, first as regent for and then as senior co-ruler with her nephew/step-son Thutmose III. Most of her statues depict Hatshepsut as an ideal king, a young man in the prime of life, but others depict her as a woman.

Recovered by the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Egyptian Expedition, it was found smashed into many fragments and buried in pits near the temple. It weighs more than seven tons.

Statue Name: Sphinx of Hapshepsut Style: Egyptian Medium: Pink granite Head Type: Man Specify Other Head: n/a Head Namesake: Hapshepsut Website: [Web Link] Street Address: 1000 Fifth Ave. New York, NY USA 10028

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Date Logged Log User Rating   04/15/2022 hzoi visited it