18th Dynasty statue
- Gallery: Room 4
- Culture: 18th Dynasty
- Date: 1475BC (circa)
- Object type: statue
- Materials: quartzite
- Museum number: EA888
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
This is a beautifully detailed quartzite statue from ancient Egypt's 18th Dynasty, dating to around 1475 BC. Before you is Teti, a high-ranking priest and scribe, his body positioned in the traditional squatting pose, carefully carved with precise attention to detail. The leopard skin draped around him and the tail curling beside his right foot show his elevated status. Around his neck, a unique pendant combines the hieroglyphs "ankh" and "hetep," symbols of life and peace.
Notice the small carved inscription along his upper arm—this is the name of his ruler, Thutmose III, showing his loyalty through visual symbols. In his left hand, Teti holds a lotus flower, while emblematic signs on his hands reference the sun and the moon. These symbols suggest that the ruler is synonymous with the forces of nature and divine rule. Look closely at the inscriptions on the statue’s base—each line reveals Teti's genealogy and title. The craftsmanship of this statue marks it as a remarkable example from this era.
See it in person
18th Dynasty statue is on display in Room 4 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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