Cairo Museum Hatshepsut Sphinx

Cairo Museum 008
Originally uploaded by random field notes

In a similar way to the Hatshepsut statue at Karnak which i posted recently- this sphinx tells us all we need to know (of its origination) by the damage we see.

Again the beard and nose have been attacked, as has the uraeus on its forehead. Hatshepsut originally commissioned this sphinx and it was re-used/ inscribed by Thutmose III.

As this piece is located at the front of the Egyptian Museum, this photograph does not fall under the same rules as the indoor artifacts (photography ban).

One of three sphinxes in Cairo (actually these are the only three "intact" sphinxes I've located- there is also a sphinx head). These will provisionally be noted in the Hatshepsut Database as Sphinx A,B,C and D.

Other Hatshepsut Sphinxes can been seen today in Berlin, Metropolitan Museum (MMA)  and at Deir el Bahri.

Regards,

Stuart

Hatshepsut - "New Sphinx" at Deir el Bahri

Deir el Bahri finally has a sphinx on display. I find this photo really exciting. On recent visit to Deir el Bahri, Dr Karl Leser took this photo and was kind enough to pass this photo on to me - with permission to use it on this blog.

From the picture, we are able to see that a number of fragmented pieces have been brought together to recreate this "new sphinx". Currently it is housed at Deir el Bahri in the stone garden next to the temple of Thutmose III. In the future, perhaps it may be integrated into the area of Hatshepsuts mortuary temple - although that is pure guesswork on my part.

For those who have visited or studied Hatshepsuts temple - we know for sure that a number of sphinxes graced the temple. Today there are none on site, but there are (restored and fragmented) Hatshepsut sphinxes in museums. One on site (at Deir el Bahri) would be a wonderful inclusion.

I hope we will find out more in time. Should you have any further information, then i would love to hear from you.

Thanks to Dr. Karl Leser for kindly sharing this photograph with us.

Regards,
Stuart