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Primary sourceSculptureca. 1473–1458 BCE

The Female Pharaoh Hatshepsut, Seated Statue

ca. 1473–1458 BCE

A seated granite statue of Hatshepsut shown as a female figure, with a short wig and long garment, from her reign as pharaoh.

This rare statue shows Hatshepsut depicted more clearly as a woman, unlike many of her other royal images.

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Photo of a seated stone statue of a woman against a gray backdrop. She wears a long pleated garment and a striped headcloth, with hands resting on her lap. The stone is speckled and weathered, and the base is square.
The Female Pharaoh Hatshepsut, seated statue, ca. 1473–1458 BCE. Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About this source

What it is

This seated granite statue shows Hatshepsut as a woman, wearing a short wig and long pleated garment, rather than in the typical male royal form used in many of her other statues. It dates from her joint reign with Thutmose III and is held by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with its torso lent by the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden.

Why it matters

Most of Hatshepsut's statues depict her with the traditional male attributes of a pharaoh, so this statue showing her more clearly as a woman is unusual and valuable. It helps historians understand the different ways Hatshepsut's image was shaped and presented during her rule.

Look closer

  • How does this statue differ from typical pharaoh statues you have seen?
  • Why might Hatshepsut's image have varied between different statues?
  • What might explain why the torso and the rest of the statue ended up in different museums?

This sculpture is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Hatshepsut on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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View of the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari, a tiered stone building with long colonnades and ramps set against towering tan limestone cliffs under a clear blue sky. Small figures and a low shelter are visible in the foreground.Artifact

Primary source

Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut

Senenmut and/or Hapuseneb (attributed) · c. 1479–1458 BCE

Photograph of a carved sandstone relief panel at Karnak. Columns of hieroglyphs divide the panel. On the left, a figure in a tall crown strides with one arm raised. On the right, a standing figure in a kilt faces left. Blue sky and a palm tree appear at the edge.Photograph

Secondary source

Hatshepsut Dancing Before Min, Karnak Relief

Carole Reeves · 1989

Painted relief on a temple wall showing men carrying a tree in a basket with a pole, between stylized incense trees and a palm, in orange, red and cream colors, with hieroglyphs above and a wave-pattern band below.Sculpture

Primary source

Punt Expedition Reliefs

Royal workshops of Hatshepsut · c. 1470 BCE

Photograph of a dark grey stone sculpture of a head, mounted on a red rectangular pedestal against a white background. The head has a tall, smooth-topped headdress, carved eyes, nose and mouth, and a worn surface. Catalogue label MM 11423 appears at lower right.Sculpture

Primary source

Sculpture Head Probably of Hatshepsut

Photograph of a seated limestone statue of a figure wearing a royal headcloth with a pleated nemes and a false beard-less face, hands resting on the lap, seated on a block with hieroglyphic inscriptions on its side.Sculpture

Primary source

Seated Statue of Hatshepsut

c. 1466 BCE

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