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 Hatshepsut is only one of six women who ruled as kings in ancient Egypt. She was first regent to her nephew, Thutmose III, then jointly reigned with him, from approximately 1479 to 1458 B.C., during the Eighteenth Dynasty of the New Kingdom. At her death, he became sole ruler and attempted to abolish any trace of the aunt as pharaoh. This large and complex exhibition first opened at the MH de Young Museum, San Francisco, and recently closed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The next and last venue will be the Kimball Museum of Art, Forth Worth, Texas, running from August 27 to December 31. Recent studies indicate that her reign provided “. . .the impetus for a period of great artistic innovation and  creativity
and laid the groundwork for the “golden age” of the the
New Kingdom that was to follow.” (Directors’ Foreword in
Roehrig 2005 Hatshepsut: From Queen to Pharaoh, The Metropolitan Museum
of Art and Yale University Press). Glass manufacture had begun in Egypt
by her reign; along with faience, these two media became increasing
sophisticated and flowered in the Amarna period, some one hundred years
later. Unlike the recent touring exhibition of Tutankhamun, small objects
and personal adornments were not the stars, although some important
jewelry was shown. As with much Egyptian art, the wondrous and the witty
can be found in objects large and small. These range from the majestic
sphinxes portraying Hatshepsut, where the sculptor has to balance the
conflict betwee n
objects that are masculine in tradition with the incorporation of the
feminine attributes of a woman ruler. The reconstituted, maned sphinx
is a perfect example, where the power of the image blends with her serene
face. The small objects that touch the viewer included ostraci, a papyrus,
very animated reliefs of running soldiers and a basket transformed as
a ceramic vessel.Anyone who has frequented the Egyptian department at The Metropolitan Museum of Art will recognize the gold diadem decorated with gazelles, the flexible cuff with three surviving kittens or the girdle strung with alternating gold and lapis cowrie beads, but my favorite is a shebiu necklace in Egyptian Blue instead of the traditional gold disks. The knife-edged disk beads comprising this necklace are truly elegant, representing the technical and aesthetic competence of their faience industry. It is surprising to see the 
use of Egyptian Blue in three pieces of jewelry in the exhibition. Incipient
use of glass is apparent in two of the broadcollars, although it is
not very evident to the viewer. A very unremarkable white glass bead,
inscribed to Hatshepsut and her royal steward Senemut, was originally
probably meant for a foundation deposit, but was appropriated by the
latter for his own tomb. This suggests a high value placed on glass
at that time.To those who have had or will have the opportunity to see this exhibition, it may become clear how vast was the scholarly and archaeological effort expended to provide evidence of the kingly rule of this remarkable woman. |
Published in Ornament
Magazine, Volume 29, No. 5, 2005. |
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