Queen Nefertari’s Egypt at Kimbell Art Museum, December 6, 2020 – March 14, 2021

“The Kimbell Art Museum presents a sweeping showcase of female power and influence during the height of ancient Egyptian civilization in the exhibition Queen Nefertari’s Egypt.

At the heart of the exhibition is Queen Nefertari, who was renowned for her beauty and prominence. Called ‘the one for whom the sun shines,’ Nefertari was the favorite wife of pharaoh Ramesses II. She and other women of ancient Egypt are brought to life through 230 objects from temples, tombs, palaces and the artisan village of Deir el-Medina, presenting the richness of Egyptian culture some 3,000 years ago. 

Drawn from the Museo Egizio in Turin, Italy, one of the most important and extensive collections of ancient Egyptian works in the world, these exceptional objects highlight the role of women—goddesses, queens and artisans—in Egypt’s New Kingdom period (c. 1539–1075 B.C.). Visitors can expect to see majestic statues, exquisite jewelry, decorated vases, papyrus manuscripts, carved steles, splendid stone sarcophagi and intricately painted wooden coffins, as well as tools and items of daily life from the craftsmen who built the royal tombs.” — Kimbell Art Museum

Statue of Ramesses II, Seated Between Amun and Mut. Temple of Amun, Karnak. New Kingdom, 19th dynasty, reign of Ramesses II (ca. 1279–1213 B.C.E.). Granite. Cat. 0767. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
Statue of the Goddess Sekhmet. Thebes. New Kingdom, 18th dynasty, reign of Amenhotep III (ca. 1390–1353 B.C.E.). Granodiorite. Cat. 0251. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
Statue Bearing the Name Thutmose I. Temple of Amun, Karnak. New Kingdom, 18th dynasty, reign of Thutmose I (ca. 1493–1483 B.C.E.). Granodiorite. Cat. 1374. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
Stela Depicting Ramesses II. Provenance unknown. New Kingdom, 19th–20th dynasty (ca. 1292–1075 B.C.E.). Limestone. Cat. 1462. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
Model of the Lesser Temple of Abu Simbel. Probably Italian. Early 1800s, acquired around 1825. Stuccoed wood. Cat. 7104. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
Statue of the Goddess Mut. Unknown provenance. New Kingdom, early 19th dynasty (ca. 1292–1250 B.C.E.). Limestone. Cat. 769. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
Statuette of Ahmose-Nefertari. Deir el-Medina. New Kingdom, 18th dynasty (ca. 1539– 1292 B.C.E.). Wood. Cat. 1389. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
Model of the Lesser Temple of Abu Simbel. Probably Italian. Early 1800s, acquired around 1825. Stuccoed wood. Cat. 7104. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
Box with Floral Motifs. Unknown provenance. New Kingdom, 18th dynasty (ca. 1539– 1292 B.C.E.). Painted wood. Cat. 2448. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
Sculptor’s Model of Nekhbet and Wadjet. Unknown provenance. Ptolemaic Period (ca. 332–32 B.C.E.). Limestone. Cat. 7055. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
Ostracon Depicting a Prince Valley of the Queens. New Kingdom, 20th dynasty, reign of Ramesses III (ca. 1186–1155 B.C.E.). Limestone with red paint. S. 05637. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
Stela of Kel. New Kingdom. 19th dynasty, Ramesses II (1279–1213 BC). Limestone bas-relief. Cat. 1636. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
Stela of Nakhi. Probably from Deir el-Medina. New Kingdom, late 18th dynasty (ca. 1300 B.C.E.). Painted sandstone. Cat. 1586. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
Stela of Pendua. Probably from Deir el-Medina. New Kingdom, 19th–20th dynasty ( ca. 1292–1075 B.C.E.). Painted limestone. Cat. 1565. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
Shabti of Amennakht. Deir el-Medina. New Kingdom, 19th dynasty (ca. 1292– 1198 B.C.E.. Painted wood. Cat. 2528. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
Book of Amduat. Thebes. Third Intermediate Period, 21st–24th dynasty (ca. 1075–712 B.C.E.). Papyrus with ink. Cat. 1783. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
Shabti of Seti I. Unknown provenance. New Kingdom, 19th dynasty, reign of Seti I (ca. 1290–1279 B.C.E.). Faience. Cat. 2503. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
Statue of Idet and Ruiu. Probably from the Theban Necropolis. New Kingdom, early 18th dynasty (ca. 1480–1390 B.C.E.). Painted limestone. Cat. 3056. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
Francesco Ballerini, Edoardo Baglione, and Michelangelo Pizzio. Italian. Model of Nefertari’s Tomb, early 1900s. Wood. Provv. 3749. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
Funerary Objects from Queen Nefertari’s tomb. Tomb of Nefertari (QV66), Valley of the Queens. New Kingdom, 19th dynasty, reign of Ramesses II (ca. 1279–1213 B.C.E.). Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
Sarcophagus Lid of Queen Nefertari. Tomb of Nefertari (QV66), Valley of the Queens. New Kingdom, 19th dynasty, reign of Ramesses II (ca. 1279–1213 B.C.E.). Granite. S. 05153. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
Coffin of Namenekhetimenipet. Valley of the Queens, Thebes. Late Period, 25th–26th dynasty (ca. 722– 525 B.C.E.). Stuccoed and painted wood. S. 05222. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
Lid from the Coffin of Ankhpakhered. Valley of the Queens, Thebes Late Period, 25th–26th dynasty (ca. 722– 525 B.C.E.). Stuccoed and painted wood. S. 05259. Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy

“I hope visitors will appreciate the high level of artisanship in these works, ” said Jennifer Casler Price, curator of Asian, African and Ancient American art, “whether it is a majestic carved stone sculpture, an exquisite piece of jewelry, a precious perfume jar, a beautifully painted piece of domestic pottery, a humble painter’s brush, delicately painted papyri, intricately painted coffins or even a queen’s pair of unassuming palm sandals.”

The exhibition is organized by the Museo Egizio, Turin, and StArt, in collaboration with the Kimbell Art Museum. The organizing curator at the Kimbell Art Museum is Jennifer Casler Price, curator of Asian, African and Ancient American art.