Take a careful look at this piece. What you see is all that is left of this sculpture of a head of a queen. We’re not positive who she is, but we’re fairly sure she’s from the time of the pharaoh Akhenaten, who lived more than three thousand years ago. She might be one of his wives or daughters. She could even be his mother, Queen Tiye.

The sculpture is made of a hard, semi-precious stone called jasper. The Egyptians only had hand tools, so a very skillful artist must have carved and polished it. Originally, the head sat on top of a body made out of a different material, like wood or limestone.

Sometimes, it’s almost more interesting to have part of something rather than the whole, because you can imagine what the rest of it looks like. What’s amazing about this Queen is how magical and powerful she is, even though so much of the sculpture is missing. Look at the curve of her cheek, and her lips. When you get home, you might want to draw what the rest of her face would look like. If you’d like to hear information about why the Museum has fragments or objects that are not complete, press the green play button now.