Hatshepsut Sphinx at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

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The reconstructed sections of this sphinx have been cast from an almost identical, but more compete companion piece now in Cairo. The head of this sphinx differs markedly from Hatshepsut;s large sphinxes in which the human head wears the royal nemes-headcloth. Instead, the example was fashioned according to a type of sphinx conceived some best known from the Middle Kingdom during the reign of Amenemhat III. In this sphinx, the only human element is the face which is surrounded by a lion's mane. Remains of pigment show that the face was painted yellow, the colour used for women in Egyptian Art. This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.