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Queen Tiye

Queen Tiye is an Ancient Egyptian steatite statuette dating to around 1391–1353 BC. It is a fragment of a royal group showing Queen Tiy with Amenhotep III, though only the queen survives, with her left arm preserved. The figure is 29 centimeters high and 12 centimeters wide, and depicts her as a high-ranking lady wearing a fitted embroidered and pleated dress, broad collar, long wig, flywhisk, and the emblems of a Great Royal Wife, including a diadem with the vulture and cobra and a crown with two tall feathers over the winged vulture Nekhbet. The lower part belonged to Henry Salt’s collection, entered as N 2312, and the upper part was acquired in 1962 by the Société des amis du Louvre and donated to the Louvre, where it is catalogued as E 25493.

Greenish-blue statue of Queen Tiye wearing a tall ornate headdress and long textured garment, holding objects in both hands.
Queen Tiye shown as a greenish-blue statue with an ornate headdress and detailed wig.
October 2007 © · CC BY-SA 2.0 fr
Standing statue of Queen Tiye with a feathered headdress, long wig, and patterned gown, holding a staff-like object.
Statue of Queen Tiye in an elaborate feathered headdress and patterned gown.
June 2012 © · CC BY 2.0
Ancient Egyptian statue of Queen Tiye with a tall headdress and patterned garment, holding a fan-like object.
Queen Tiye depicted in an ancient Egyptian statue with a tall headdress and patterned dress.
July 2016 © · CC0
Bust of Queen Tiye with a tall segmented headdress and broad wig, holding an arched object.
Ancient-style bust of Queen Tiye with a tall headdress and patterned garment.
August 2013 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Weathered bust of Queen Tiye with an ornate headdress and heavy wig, shown in close-up.
Close-up of the weathered bust of Queen Tiye, showing her ornate headdress and serene facial features.
© · CC BY-SA 3.0 fr

Identification

TitleQueen Tiye with King Amenhotep III
Typestatuette

Historical context

Datec. 1391–1353 BC
OriginAncient Egypt

Creator

Depicted figuresQueen Tiye beside King Amenhotep III

Physical characteristics

JewelryBroad collar
AttributeFly whisk
HairLong wig
Royal insigniaDiadem with the vulture and cobra on the forehead; crown with two tall plumes above the Nekhbet vulture with outspread wings
ClothingTight embroidered and pleated dress
Depicted statusWoman of high rank with the insignia of a Great Royal Wife
Depicted personQueen Tiye, wife of Amenhotep III
State of preservationFragment of a royal pair group; only Queen Tiye remains, and her left arm is preserved
Dimensions29 cm high, 12 cm wide

Materials

MaterialGlazed steatite

Discovery and provenance

Louvre acquisitionAcquired in 1962 on the art market by the Société des Amis du Louvre
Henry Salt collection acquisitionAcquired in 1826 by Jean-François Champollion on behalf of King Charles X
Henry Salt collectionPart of Henry Salt's collection in 1826 under inventory number N 2312

Location and ownership

MuseumLouvre Museum
DepartmentDepartment of Egyptian Antiquities
Inventory numberE 25493

History and restoration

Current compositionUpper part acquired in 1962; lower part belonged to the Henry Salt collection
ExhibitionExhibited in March 2014 at La Galería del tiempo, Louvre-Lens Museum
Displayed in place ofTuy, priestess of Min, god of fertility (inventory number E 10655)

Other

Replacement object materialebony and karite wood
Replacement object typeAnother contemporary statuette, carved in garnet