Statue of Sekhmet

The Statue of Sekhmet /ˈsɛkˌmɛt/[1] currently housed in the Gallery of Ancient Egypt at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is a life-sized sculpture of one of the oldest known Egyptian deities.

[3] Depicted as a woman with the head of a lioness – sometimes with the addition of a sun disc and the uraeus serpent atop her head – Sekhmet is the ancient Egyptian goddess of war who was believed to be a protector of Ma'at (balance or justice) and of the Egyptian people.

[3][5] The acquisition of this piece of Egyptian art was made possible by the support of the Louise Hawley Stone Charitable Trust, and is now one of the museum's iconic objects.

[2] The statue dates back to the 18th dynasty (New Kingdom) circa 1360 BCE, during the reign of King Tutankhamun's grandfather, Amenhotep III, and is thought to have originated from the Temple of Mut at Karnak, Egypt.

[4][7] The statue is made of carved and polished granite and depicts the goddess in a seated position holding only an ankh in her left hand, and stands at a height of about 6 feet (184 cm).