tour 2 of 21
Audio description tour
Statue of Sekhmet
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This larger-than-life statue, just over 2 metres tall, is the
seated figure of Sekhmet, a goddess associated with destruction who
has the head of a lioness. Her name means 'she who is powerful'.
According to one myth, Sekhmet was the fiery eye of the sun god Re
and was sent against his enemies. The statue comes from Thebes in
Egypt. It is dated around 1350 BC, making it over 3,000 years
old.
The statue is carved from a single block of polished
granodiorite - a black rock which is chipped and flecked in places.
The goddess is seated on a narrow throne, her bare feet placed on a
small plinth, her palms resting on her knees. In the fingers of her
left hand she clasps an ankh, shaped like a cross, with a
loop at the top. For the ancient Egyptians, the ankh was a
symbol of life.
The most striking thing about Sekhmet is her lioness's head,
complete with muzzle, carved whiskers and chipped nose. Her ears
are rounded and alert. Set behind them, on top of her head, is a
large circle of stone - called a sun-disc. In front of this is a
'uraeus', the head of a rearing cobra that symbolises
Sekhmet's destructive power. Either side of her ears and circling
under her chin is a mane. It is carved with small triangles like
the rays of the sun. The mane overlaps a heavy wig - typical of
Egyptian deities - which covers the back of the head and falls in
two stiff hanks over Sekhmet's shoulders. Grooves in the stone
suggest the strands of hair, which partially obscure the carved
concentric circles of her ceremonial collar.
Sekhmet has a slender figure and wears a simple, close-fitting
gown. A band of decoration defines the scooped neckline. A similar
pattern runs under her bust and a flower is centred on each breast.
Her arms appear to be bare. Sekhmet's gown is calf length and she
wears ankle bracelets.
Sekhmet's body is supported by a column that runs up the back of
the statue. The throne she is sitting on has a low back and no
arms. A single narrow column of hieroglyphs is carved on the front
of the throne on each side. Sekhmet was especially revered by King
Amenhotep III and the inscriptions describe him as 'beloved of
Sekhmet who smites the Nubians'. This statue is thought to be one
of 730 erected in Amenhotep's mortuary temple - one seated and one
standing for each day of the year. They were part of a ritual to
pacify Sekhmet's fury on a regular basis.