The revival of a centralized state after the expulsion of the Hyksos, who had subjugated Egypt for a hundred years, began the era of the New Kingdom (mid-16th – last quarter of the 11th century BC, 18th–20th dynasties). At that time tremendous construction of temples took place in the country. The foremost cult centre became the sanctuary of the god Amon at Karnak.
The monumental statue of the lioness-headed goddess Mut-Sekhmet (15th century BC) is one of numerous statues that adorned the temple of Mut in Karnak.
Eye-catching for its virtuoso execution is a wooden statuette of a priest (mid-14th century BC) in the showcase to the left. The statue of Maniamon (second half of the 15th century BC) belongs to the “cuboid sculpture” type depicting a person squatting with knees up against the chest.
Here too you can see ushabti figurines that became a common part of funerary rites. They were intended to perform work in place of the deceased in the kingdom of the dead.
Artistic craft articles are indicative of the demand for luxury items, which is evidence of a prosperous state. Notable for its high quality is the stela of the royal scribe and fan-bearer Ipi (third quarter of the 14th century BC), created in the period of the brief reign of Tutankhamun, during the return to the traditional cults of the gods after the rejection of the religious reforms introduced by Pharaoh Akhnaton. On the stela Ipi is depicted praying to the god Anubis.
