Egyptologist James Henry Breasted called Hatshepsut “the first great woman in history of whom we are informed”. One of the very few female pharaohs that ruled Ancient Egypt, her reign lasted 20 years. Unstoppable, she dressed like a man when her rule as a woman was not accepted. That’s why she appears with an artificial beard in many statues, like the one that served as an inspiration for this piece. She carried on one of the most impressive and successful trade and construction programs in the history of Ancient Egypt.  She made Egypt rich, prosperous and safe. She did not go to war.  Not just unflinching, but also with exquisite taste, she commissioned some of the most elegant temples that remain from the ancient world. Her funerary temple in Deir El Bahari, looks like a masterpiece of modern architecture. Her successors tried to erase her name and her memory, but she still lives on. And her smile carved in stone, says it all.