This striking statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 of the great general 𓀎𓏦, Pharaoh Thutmosis III 𓇳𓏠𓆣 is hidden away in one of the minor galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
I find this piece to be so beautiful 𓄤 because the white 𓌉𓆓𓇳 limestone 𓇋𓈖𓈙𓌉 (it honestly looks like marble to me – but marble is metamorphosed limestone) contrasts so well with the black 𓆎𓅓 paint 𓇨𓂋𓅱𓏭𓏸𓏦 on the nemes 𓈖𓅓𓋴 head cloth and the eyes 𓁹𓏦. Some red 𓂧𓈙𓂋𓅟 paint 𓇨𓂋𓅱𓏭𓏸𓏦 can even still be seen on the Uraeus 𓇋𓂝𓂋𓏏𓆗 that is on Thutmosis III’s 𓅝𓄠𓋴 forehead!
Thutmosis III 𓅝𓄠𓋴 is one of Egypt’s 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖 most successful pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏦. He was only three 𓏼 years old when his father Thutmosis II 𓇳𓉻𓆣𓈖 passed away, and was a co-regent with Hatshepsut 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 before she completely took over the throne. During her rule 𓋾, Thutmosis III 𓇳𓏠𓆣 was a member of the military and gained valuable experience that allowed him to be such a successful pharaoh 𓉐𓉻. He ruled 𓋾 Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖 for 54 𓎆𓎆𓎆𓎆𓎆𓏽 years, and was a very accomplished general 𓀎𓏦, having led troops into battle himself. Thutmosis III 𓅝𓄠𓋴 has been rumored to have never lost a battle!
This statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 was found during excavations of Montuhotep II’s 𓏠𓈖𓍿𓅱𓊵𓏏𓊪 temple 𓉟𓏏𓉐 at Deir el-Bahri. The face of this statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 is not the original, it is a cast; the original face is in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo! The MET then made a cast of the torso of the statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾, and that is now at the Egyptian Museum as well! So each museum has a real part of the statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾, and a cast of the statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾! The face and torso of the statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 were not found at the same time, hence why they ended up in different places!
This piece is dated to the 18th Dynasty, c. 1479–1425 B.C.E. (New Kingdom).