archaicwonder: Extremely Rare Royal Egyptian Silver Diadem, 17th Dynasty c. 1580-1550 BCThis is one
archaicwonder: Extremely Rare Royal Egyptian Silver Diadem, 17th Dynasty c. 1580-1550 BCThis is one of only two known silver Egyptian diadems! It was found at Thebes in the 1820s and is associated with the tomb of Nubkheperre Intef. Both known diadems date to the 17th Dynasty and bear many similarities, not only in terms of material but also in design and manufacture, and were both likely made for a royal personage.The double uraei – the stylized representation of two sacred cobras, protectors of the royal power in ancient Egyptian art – suggest that the diadem offered here was originally the property of an Egyptian queen: the motif is seen in the early 18th Dynasty Theban tomb of Tetiky, where it appears on the accoutrements of Queen Ahmose-Nefertari. It is also seen in images of Amenhotep III’s queen, Tiye, Akhenaten’s consort, Nefertiti, and Nefertari, wife of Ramesses II. The present diadem, predating these known examples, demonstrates that this tradition was already established in the Second Intermediate Period.Silver was accessible only to the highest echelons of Egyptian society. Due to the lack of an abundant local source, it was both rarer and more costly, and thus held in higher esteem, than gold. It is likely that the silver used for this extraordinary royal diadem was sourced from beyond the boundaries of the Egyptian world, from the spoils of war or commerce. -- source link