Cleveland Museum of Art

Fragment of an Inlay Headdress

Date

c. 1353–1295 BCE

Medium

lavender blue faience with deep blue overglaze

Culture

Egypt, New Kingdom (1540–1069 BCE), Dynasty 18

Department

Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This fragment is part of the curled headdress of an inlay figure, probably of a queen, assembled of various materials fit together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The front part of the headdress (directly over the forehead) is to the left, followed by the ear tab and part of the cutout above the ear. The luster of the faience is marvelously preserved. Blue, primarily associated with lapis lazuli, was an appropriate color for kings' and gods' hair and was part of the apparatus signaling them as otherworldly beings. It has been suggested that this fragment was part of a headdress that belonged to a queen. The fine, carved details of this headdress attest to the great skill of its maker and the luster of the blue lapis lazuli faience would have been appropriate for Egyptian royalty.

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