Originally wrapped in linen, with faces and feet uncovered, these sculptures were among the figures found in twenty-two shrines for statues in the tomb of King Tutankhamun. The lack of facial resemblance to other images of Tutankhamun and the style of the body–narrow waist, noticeable breasts, and bulging belly–suggest these belonged to an earlier king. The powerful royal imagery of the two statues and the gold may indicate why they ended up in Tutankhamun’s burial goods. Both figures hold symbols of the king, the crook and flail, and they both wear elaborate collars and pleated skirts. One figure wears the tall, cone-like crown of Upper Egypt. This white crown symbolizes rule over the southern Nile Valley. The other figure wears a flattened crown with an upward, tail-like feature on the back. This is the red crown of Lower Egypt, which identifies the king as ruler of the Delta. Both crowns are adorned with the hooded cobra.
Egyptians believed that the country was once divided as two lands (Upper and Lower Egypt) until one king united the two as one nation. The pharaoh is the leader of all of Egypt and often appears in the red crown, the white crown, or a combination of the two to demonstrate his rulership of all areas.
Tutankhamun as the King of Upper Egypt
Gilded wood, gesso, gold, resin, glass, copper alloy
Dynasty 18, reign of Tutankhamun (1332–1323 B.C.)
Thebes, Valley of the Kings, tomb of Tutankhamun (no. 62)