ref.: September 3, 2002, "Red hair" by George B. Johnson
Included are two images that offer evidence about the conclusion that Hetepheres II is wearing a headdress [i.e. a cap-crown].
Image 1 - Top. Line drawing of the scene showing Hetepheres with the head painted yellow and wearing a dress with unusual pointed sleeves. Her daughter, Meresankh III, shown behind the queen is also shown wearing an elaborate leopard skin costume. This indicates both royal ladies may be shown in the costumes of one of the many high offices bestowed on them by the king. This consideration is supported by the two photographs below, the relief of Hetepheres compared with a relief of the mother of Khafkhufu (Henutsen ?) showing the latter queen wearing a costume and headdress similar to that of Hetepheres except Henutsen has only one pointed sleeve, indicating she may have held the secondary rank in the same office held by Hetepheres. The artist that cut the outlines on the Henutsen headdress offers more information about its shape and fit. The lines are cut into the relief rather than painted and the fore-plate is clearly indicated. The combination of costume and the design of the head decoration offer strong evidence that these are headdresses that go with the rest of the costume of one of high offices these ladies held.
Image - 2. The relief of Queen Hetepheres II with the colors of the costume
restored from the colors remaining on the wall. The fore-plate on the
headdress is clearly visible. The fore-plate was needed as a baseplate for
the selvage edge of a beaded headdress.
(Documentation for beading in the Old Kingdom is given in: "Seeking
Nefertiti's Tall Blue Crown," AMARNA LETTERS I, KMT Communications, 1991,
pp. 50-55.)
Consideration of the gold coloring of the headdress as representing hair
was long ago countered by W. S. Smith in "A History of the Giza Necropolis."
Volume II, p7, where he states: "It would seem we are dealing with a wig
somewhat like the king's headcloth in shape and that it is unsafe to give an
ethnic interpretation to the yellow coloring which happens to be preserved
only in the case of Hetep-heres II."
"While it seems a pity to spoil the romantic legend of the 'red-haired
queen', it would appear probable that Hetep-heres II like her husband Ka-wab
was a child of Cheops and Merytyetes."
G. B. Johnson