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By: Baniel Cisneios



Sphinx oI Hatshepsut
Dynasty 18
ca. 14731458 B.C
Upper Egypt; Deir el-Bahri
Granite, Paint

Descriptive Study oI a Selected

Work oI Egyptian Art

The statue oI Hatshepsut is one oI the most interesting pieces I saw at the Metropolitan
Museum oI Art. When I walked into the Hatshepsut room oI the museum, I saw a quite big statue
oI a lion with the head oI Hatshepsut. The piece to me seemed to be the essence oI Egyptian art,
a powerIul sphinx like many other pharaohs had beIore her. One oI the most amazing things that
caught my eyes was the Iact that Hatshepsut was a woman, not only was she the Iirst Iemale
pharaoh, but some oI her art try to make her seem as iI she were man. The statute demonstrates
great power, it sat in the middle oI the room and you could see it Irom a Iront view and the sides
which I think gives the statue a more round appearance. Furthermore, this round appearance
make the statue seem more real, it`s as iI the statue was a real sphinx and it was guarding the rest
oI the pieces in that room.

The artist oI this piece is unknown, but the statue is so magniIicent that a person can tell a
lot Irom the piece alone. The lion`s body is strong and the muscles oI the lion can be clearly seen
Irom the sides oI the statue. However, even though she wears a pharaohs` head piece and a Iake
beard, her Iace seems gentle and very Ieminine. This statue was made Ior the gods oI the time
and the Iact that the statue has three visual planes Irom any stand point, is a metaphor that
symbolizes our planes oI liIe and could very well have been done to reaIIirm the aIterliIe.

The artist uses granite to make this beautiIul statue, his choice was an amazing one
because the Iact that it was made oI granite empowers the work oI art, it gives it a sense oI
solitude and power. Yet the paint soItens it, and has a contrast between power and beauty which
is what Hatshepsut was in essence. Hatshepsut was a woman and a pharaoh, and I think that the
artist demonstrates that balance in this statue, in the structure oI it and the medium. For example,
the strong and stiII body oI the lion and the gentile Iace oI the pharaoh, and the hard and solid
medium oI granite which is balanced by the beauty oI the paint.
The statue sits still in a very relaxed pose; however, she also seems in a stance oI
readiness to attack. The statue balances the eternal rest oI the pharaoh and the eternal watching
eye over his subjects in the aIterliIe. It can be very intimidating when seen Irom the Iront
because it Ieels as iI a lion was getting ready to jump on you, but Irom the sides it seems as iI
Hatshepsut was resting.
In conclusion, this work oI art was magniIicently constructed and gets many messages
across to the people viewing it. The artist picked the right medium and pose to contradict each
other and make the contradiction oI liIe and death be Ielt. It was great seeing this piece in person
and being able to observe it on my own and have the opportunity to make my own opinions
about the art piece.