The museum houses a fascinating treasure: a relief portrait of Queen Tiye, one of the most influential figures in ancient Egyptian history. As the Great Royal Wife of Amenhotep III and the mother of Akhenaten, Tiye played an exceptional political and diplomatic role during the New Kingdom. This relief, with its remarkable artistic finesse, testifies to her influence at court and showcases the grandeur of Egyptian art from that era.
The history of this piece is just as captivating. It originates from the tomb of Userhat, an Egyptian dignitary from Luxor (ancient Thebes), discovered in 1903 by Howard Carter. The tomb was richly decorated with bas-reliefs, including a scene depicting Amenhotep III and Tiye seated on their throne. However, in 1905, this relief was put up for sale by a controversial antiquities dealer named Philip. To obscure the object’s origins, he cut the relief to retain only Tiye’s head, scraped off the inscriptions, and even added graffiti. This deception was intended to hide its connection to Userhat’s tomb.
Belgian Egyptologist and museum curator Jean Capart recognized the portrait during the sale and decided to acquire it. After careful restoration, he confirmed that it was indeed a fragment of the bas-relief from Userhat’s tomb. Struck by its beauty and historical importance, he nicknamed it “The Mona Lisa of Cinquantenaire”, a title that reflects its status as a masterpiece within the museum’s collections.
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