Female Figure

Ancient Egyptians would place fertility figurines in tombs to accompany the deceased in their afterlives. Middle Kingdom artists often made them of faience, a glazed, composite quartz material believed to have special powers. The material and applied decorations ensured the figures' safe passage through the underworld.

This female figure's horned hairstyle is associated with the primeval goddess Hathor, depicted as a woman with the head of a cow. Her body is painted with jewelry and tattoos reflecting the style conventions of Hathor cults. The cowrie shell girdle painted around her waist is a symbol of fertility and a common dance ornament. Dance was central to the worship of Hathor.

Other symbols attributed to Hathor worshippers include geometric dots, dashes, and chevron designs. These symbols are present on this figure's thighs and belly as tattoos. In the Middle Kingdom, primarily women wore tattoos as protective amulets.

Statuette, female