Cleopatra and the Queens of Egypt

October 10(Sat.)-December 27(Sun.), 2015

Splendid pyramids, tombs and palaces - the first things that come to mind when Ancient Egypt is mentioned. The ancient kings of Egypt known as pharaohs ruled their land for three millennia.
And now thanks to the excavations and research, there has been a growing interest in the society and lives of the people of that ancient land. Research on the women of ancient Egypt and the roles they played in their society has advanced at a particularly fast rate.
The women who supported the pharaohs acted not only as royal mothers and wives, they also bore major responsibilities in the political and religious life of their day. At times royal women ruled as queens, and at times, queens were deified as goddesses.
This exhibition focuses on the major roles played by women in the history of Ancient Egypt. Hetepheres was the mother of the pharaoh Khufu renowned as the builder of the Great Pyramid. Queen Hatshepsut ruled as pharaoh after the death of her husband. The talented Queen Tiye was a commoner who married a pharaoh. And Queen Nefertiti was renowned for her unparalleled beauty and was seen as the ideal woman. And last but not least, Cleopatra (Cleopatra Ⅶ) was the last queen of Ancient Egypt.
This exhibition presents approximately 180 works, ranging from sculptures to reliefs and jewelry, borrowed from museums and private collections from 14 countries worldwide. We hope visitors will enjoy this an important opportunity to consider the Ancient Egyptian civilization ruled by the pharaohs as seen through its royal women.

Organized by The National Museum of Art, Osaka, NHK Osaka Station, NHK PlanNet, INC. Kinki Branch Office, The Asahi Shimbun
With the Support of Ministry of Foreign Affairs
With the Sponsorship of Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd., TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION, Panasonic Corporation
With the Assistance of JAPAN AIRLINES, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Daikin Foundation for Contemporary Arts
With the Co-organization and Co-production of The Grimaldi Forum Monaco
With the Productive Assistance of Fact Concepteurs

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |

Relief of Queen Tiye, wife of Amenhotep Ⅲ
New Kingdom, 18th dynasty, reign of Amenhotep Ⅲ, 1388-1350 B.C.
Royal Museums of Art and History, Brussels, E.2157
© RMAH

Cleopatra
Ptolemaic period, middle 1st century B.C.
Museo di Antichità di Torino, 4685
© Archivio Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici del Piemonte e del Museo Antichità Egizie
The work will be on display until November 23.

Cleopatra Ⅶ
Ptolemaic period, 200-30.B.C.
Lent by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Joseph W. Drexel, 89.2.660
© The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / image of the MMA

Hatshepsut
New Kingdom, 18th dynasty, reign of Thutmosis Ⅱ-Hatshepsut, 1492-1458 B.C.
Gift of Mrs. Joseph Lindon Smith in memory of Joseph Lindon Smith, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 52.347
Photograph © 2015 MFA, Boston

The Divine Adoratrice Shepenwepet Ⅱ presenting the water of Amun
Third intermediate period, 25th dynasty, reign of Taharqa, to Late period, 26th dynasty, 9th year of the reign of Psamtik Ⅰ, 690-656 B.C.
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, ÄM 7972
photo: Jürgen Liepe

Death of Cleopatra
by Achilles Glisenti
1878-1879
Musei Civici d'Arte e Storia di Brescia, N.733
Archivio fotografico dei Civici Musei d’Arte e Storia di Brescia

Necklace
New Kingdom, 18th dynasty, 1550-1292 B.C.
Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Ägyptisch Orientalische Sammlung, 6693
Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna

Mummy mask for a royal woman
New Kingdom, 18th dynasty, 1550-1292 B.C.
Manchester Museum, The University of Manchester, 7931
© Manchester Museum, The University of Manchester

Head of a queen
New Kingdom, 18th dynasty, reign of Akhenaten, 1351-1334 B.C.
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, ÄM 21245
photo: Sandra Steiβ

Isetneferet
New Kingdom, 19th dynasty, reign of Ramesses Ⅱ, 1279-1213 B.C.
Royal Museums of Art and History, Brussels, E.5924
© RMAH

Fragment of sarcophagus of Tjesraperet
Third intermediate period, 25th dynasty, reign of Taharqa, 690-664 B.C.
Firenze, Museo Egizio (Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici della Toscana), N.2160
Su concessione della Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici della Toscana – Firenze

Window from Merenptah's palace
New Kingdom, 19th dynasty, reign of Merenptah, 1213-1203 B.C.
Loaned by the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Philadelphia, PA, E13564
Courtesy of Penn Museum, image #151118

Opening Hours

10:00 - 17:00 (last admission 16:30), Fri. until 19:00 (last admission 18:30).

Closed

Mondays and October 13, November 24 (except October 12, November 23).

Admission Fee

Adults : 1500 Yen (1300 Yen)
University students : 1200 Yen (1000 Yen)
High school students : 600 Yen (500 Yen)

* Figures in parentheses : Advance purchase and groups of 20 or more.
* Including "Collection 1".
* Children (up to Junior high school students), disabled people with one attendant : Free.