Wednesday 17 August 2011

Neferure - McManus Museum, Dundee

Relief fragment featuring Neferure, from the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut.


Museum Number: 1977-534
Acquired in 1914 (Donated by Sir James Key Caird)

All other details can be found, along with a photograph of the relief fragment by clicking on the above link.

Regards,
Stuart

8 comments:

Marianne Luban said...

I don't know...This may be too good to be true. I can't recall seeing a prince of that era wearing that diadem and type of sidelock--much less a princess. It reminds me very much of the headgear of Ramesses II when he is portrayed as a child.

Stuart Tyler said...

Hi Marianne.
Thanks for the comment. I have an A4 (ish)copy of the Neferure fragment and can send it to you by email, for further viewing if that would be of use to you? I cannot add anything regards the Ramesses depictions, but please email me an example so i can take a look. Stuart

Marianne Luban said...

I got a good look at the fragment, so thanks, anyway. This copy of the Ramesses II relief looks pretty much like the original:

http://www.museumize.com/Ramses-II-as-a-Child-Egyptian-Wall-Relief-p/e-088s.htm

Stuart Tyler said...

when we add the neferure fragment to the original location at Deir el Bahri:
http://www.aegyptologie.com/forum/attachments/archiv/Iufaa/IMG_4737.JPG (copyright IUFAA),

we can see the similarities with the diadems. The sidelocks differ in thickness and size. Neferure appears to be wearing a wig(?)or sporting very short hair whereas Ramesses II has a shaven head, with only the sidelock remaining.

In the same link is a depiction of Neferubity wearing a diadem. Its clearly different, but like Neferure's depiction has the short cut hair or wig.

Marianne, would Neferure's diadem hold any significant (subliminal) message? Perhaps the diadem of someone who performs a specific royal or religious role? I am out of my depth here.

Stuart

Marianne Luban said...

I couldn't see much of anything at that link regarding Neferubity. Are you sure the fragment comes from there? If so, then it has to be the real McCoy--but so far I have only seen thise combination of lock and diadem on princes. Whether there is a wig or a shaved head does not matter, nor the thickness of the lock. I will try to find some more examples and get back to you.

Marianne Luban said...

I found one rather quickly. Go to page 37 of this Googlebook

http://tinyurl.com/3hacbkk

and you will see another Ramesside era prince with the same combination. But I can't think of another image from the time of Hatshepsut/Thutmose III that looks like that.

Stuart Tyler said...

@ Marianne- you made a few points i have yet to address. Please allow me some time and i will respond to you shortly.

Stuart Tyler said...

@ Marianne. The Neferure fragment seems to be quite secure. I do not have access to all the information though, so cannot privde much information. Altough some of the fragments of her are missing from the Deir el Bahri photo i linked to, the fragment seems to fit without too much doubt.

As far as the diadems, i, like you cannot offer much in the way of information to show this being a usual diadem used in the Thutmoside era. I just dont have the information available to me. If that changes, i will point it out.