Rare Limestone Statue of Goddess Meretseger with a Snake Head

Culture: Egyptian

Period: New Kingdom, around 1200-1100 B.C.

Material: Limestone

Dimensions: 21.2 cm high

Price: 10 000 Euro

Ref: 1576

Provenance: From the collection Diniacopoulos, acquired prior to 1950. Thence with gallery Charles Ede in London. There acquired by the German Egyptologist Hermann A. Schlögl in the 1990s. Published by Schlögl in: Hermann A. Schlögl und Regine Buxtorf "Ägypten – Geschichte in Stein", Wiesbaden 2023, p. 162f.

Condition: Unrestored. Broken on the stomach. Ancient wear also on the feather crown. But overall, an impressive statue.

Description: Rare and published limestone statue of Meretseger, who was worshipped as a goddess of the Theban necropolis, especially by the workers in Deir el-Medina who looked after the sepulchral city. She was an almighty goddess, who could help, punish or forgive the inhabitants. The present statue is an important depiction of Meretseger as a woman with a snake head and round breasts. She wears a massive wig with strands, which runs out in braided fringes at the bottom. The neck is decorated with a three-row collar. The head is adorned by a double crown. The right arm is bent, which indicates that it probably once was a seated statue. Probably Meretseger held two knives in her hands. The statue is published in: Hermann A. Schlögl und Regine Buxtorf “Ägypten – Geschichte in Stein”, Wiesbaden 2023, p. 162f. Mounted.