King Khafra (or Chephren, this vision is shown in the description for his statue in Egyptian Museum), who’s name and face are well-known by the Second Pyramid and the Great Sphinx, is now sitting in the exhibition of old kingdom in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. A statue of King Khafre which comes from 2500BC is now placed in the centre of the exhibition. It is found in Khafra’s magnificent Valley Temple, and is believed to be the one of the twenty-tree statues which belonged to the Valley Temple in Giza. The statuary is the quintessential expression of kingship, and it reflects factors concerning art, culture, economy or other elements during 4th Dynasty in ancient Egypt. According to Egyptian sculptor Adam Haneen, The Old Kingdom is the …show more content…
The false beard is broken, but it does not loss its meaning: a symbol of god. Most of the male gods in ancient Egypt wearing beards. The beard is a fascinating element in ancient Egyptian art, most of the pharaonic sculpture has a false beard, to claim the position of royal family, and an embodiment of gods, because the beard was considered to be a divine attribute of the gods. In accordance with this religious formula, the pharaoh would express his status as a living god by wearing a false beard secured by a cord on certain occasions. Also, the false beard can support the head of the sculpture to avoid breaking from the neck. What under his serious-looking face is a muscular body. Egyptian were expert in idealizing their rulers, and this one is no exception. It is difficult to believe that all the pharaohs had such good build as they used to be richest, well looked after men. However most of the pharaohs convince everyone that he is the best man in the world, he is divine, and chosen by the gods, no wonder why they have a perfect body. Besides, a muscular and powerful body is required in a sense of protecting all his people from the enemies. In contrast to the pharaoh, the sculpture of Sheikh el-Balad, who was the chief lector priest, is far more life-like for a fat body with a beer belly. The sculpture of Sheikh el-Balad is displayed just next to the Diorite Statue of King Khafra, the difference between the two statues is obvious.The Diorite Statue of
Hatshepsut’s appearance and portrayal changed as her usually feminine features were replaced by kingly accessories such as the royal kilt, Nemes headdress with uraeus, Atef crown and symbols of Egypt’s enemies under her feet when represented in statues. The seated limestone statue from Deir El-Bahri is the best example of this portrayal of Hatshepsut as a female but with kingly accessories. This transition from a female representation to a more manly and masculine appearance reflects Hatshepsut to have a more kingly identity and because traditional most Pharaohs were male. Egyptologist Peter Dorman also explains this transition as the “strictures of functioning solely as a queen were inconsistent with that role. Hatshepsut’s royal image changed over time as her feminine appearance gradually changed as she began to be depicted in royal masculine
Examining the Ancient Egyptian civilization reveals much about the nature of its art. The art was mainly religious in content and purpose and, as the “religious dogma” remained unchanged for nearly 3000 years, so did the art (Piper, 1991: 24). Because Isis and Horus are divine beings, they had to be portrayed “with limited human expression” according to “strict formal conventions, in keeping with their divinity” (Mason, 2007:13). The sculpture is fairly flat on the back side of the throne, for the sake of functionality. It was not “intended to be seen in the round”, but was most probably placed against the wall of a tomb (Ancient Egypt – Myth & History, 2002: 439). In fact, this sculpture was not made
The revised back side "... is taken up by a finely carved...raised relief showing a king, undoubtedly Narmer, ready to strike down a foe whom he grabs by the hair. This pose would become typical in Ancient Egyptian art. He wears a short skirt, an animal's tail and the crown that at least in later
What makes the sculpture different from others of this time period are two things; the subject matter, in that it depicts no god, nor Pharaoh only a mortal human writing in a mostly illiterate society. Secondly it demonstrates age shown in sagging muscles and rotund belly. Due to this relaxed style we can gather that the subject is not a Pharaoh as it was dishonourable to insinuate that they aged as they were supposed to be gods on earth.
Guarding the entrance to the 100 feet tall temple are four enormous statues of the Pharaoh, who ruled for roughly 66 years during the 19th dynasty. Each statue stands 67 feet high and depicts Ramses seated on his throne, wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt. Adorning the sides of the thrones is the symbolic unification of Egypt by the Nile Gods. The whole upper body of one of the figures is destroyed, damaged by an ancient earthquake. You can still see the remains of the torso and head at the base near the feet. Statues of Ramses mother Mut-Tuy, principal wife Nefertari, and son, Prince Amonherkhepshef, stand at his sides, almost as high as his knees, and smaller statues between his legs are thought to represent either his daughters or lesser wives. The frieze topping the temple facade shows 22 baboons worshipping the sun. The recessed statue above the entrance is that of the falcon-headed Ra-Harakhti (associated with Horus) and is flanked by two Bas-reliefs of Ramses, presumably worshipping him. Three connected halls inside the temple dig 185 feet deep into the mountain, where pictures of the King's "grand" accomplishments can be seen covering the walls. The temple was completed near the 24th year
The Stele of Prince Ankh-nef-nebu was found at the site of Deir El-Bahari, the same compound that housed the 11th Dynasty Mortuary Complex and 18th Dynasty temple. The Stele of Prince Ankh-nef-nebu was found before 1925 and belongs to the Egyptian (New Kingdom) period. It is made of limestone and has traces of polychrome paint. The Stele’s dimensions are 12 x 8 x 3 in. It is currently located at the Ackland Art Museum, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The statue of King Sahure and a Nome god is an interesting piece of Ancient Egyptian art ( c. 2500 BC ) that shows signs of Ancient Egyptian culture and beliefs. The statue is a small relief sculpture, meaning the sculptural elements are attached to the solid background of the sculpture and appears to be emerging from the material. The piece clearly depicts two figures side by side, one standing on the left and one sitting on the right (facing foreward). The purpose of this piece was probably to depict a certain symbolic interaction between the two characters.
The main purpose of this paper is to describe the visual analysis of the artwork. This paper examines an Egyptian half nude portrait art which is taken from Metropolitan Museum of Art (Fig.1). The statue characterized both male and female seated figure with a Braid hair. In this essay, I will present a complete visual description of this artwork (its preservation, costume and iconography), and then I will compare it to another artwork which is chosen from Textbook that is Akhenaten and his Family (Fig. 2).
In The Saga of King Hrolf Kraki we are introduced to multiple kings who are different in many ways. Each one of these achieve their leadership roles in different ways and are held to different standards. Some of these kings include King Frodi, King Hegi, and of course King Hrolf Kraki.
The reliefs of Ankh-neb-ef are limestone panels with paint that originated from the Old Kingdom of Egypt in 2150 BC during the reign of Pharaoh Pepy II. The delicate carving of the panels in the sunken relief presents a magnificent image. They portray Ankh-neb-ef, an ancient Egyptian priest whose name translates to “may his lord live.” In the reliefs, Ankh-neb-ef holds a Kherep-sceptor and a walking stick, which were symbols of authority in ancient Egypt. Egyptian civilization was extremely religious and most ancient Egyptian artworks involved the portrayal of gods, goddesses, and Pharaoh, as well. Moreover, the Egyptian reverence for order and conservative ideals led to the institution of intricate rules that governed how artists represented both humans and gods (Saylor.org 4). For instance, the apparel worn by Ankh-neb-ef in the painting is not a simple fashion statement. The priest is wearing a prestigious sarong and ornamentation, bracelets, and a wide collar. The jewelry kept their owner safe in a dangerous passage to the afterlife. This formula for representing the human figure in a painting remained popular over several centuries (Robins 24).
Envision a world where the single purpose in life was to obey the gods who indirectly controlled people through your king. Rituals, duties, and praising were all part of a manifest to pass the tests of the Underworld to achieve eternal life after death. While this may seem like a radical lifestyle to us, this was how the real world was for the civilians during the Ancient Egyptian times. To truly express their fondness and devotion to the gods, people constructed works of art to represent this; remembrances of their collective significant figures in their locality were highly practiced in order to please them. In particular, the State of Khafre was created to honor their deceased king who held significant power in their society as a part of their funeral liturgy. It epitomized the repercussion he held over his nation and the respect he had acquired. The Statue of Khafre did not just illustrate a polytheistic community, but it also prompted the civilians to be respectful towards their god whom were expressed with kings through their practice of rituals, and additionally exhibited how their religion was ultimately integrated as an essential part of life.
A popular theory regarding the Sphinx is that it was built during Khafre’s reign as Pharaoh of the 4th Dynasty (around 2600 B.C). Khafre (Khafra, Khefren or Chephren) was the son of King Khufu and younger brother of Djedefre (his predecessor). Being the second of Khufu’s heirs to take the thrown it is believed Khafre built the Great Sphinx in his own image. Dr. Salima Ikram suggests “he is showing the world that he is a legitimate heir and therefore has every right to rule” (“Secret: The Sphinx”). The base of this theory is that Khafre’s temple is located directly behind the Sphinx and therefore he must have built it and arranged it that way. “It is possible the sphinx was intended to serve as a guardian for Khafre’s splendid valley temple” (Oakes, and Gahlin 428). This theory however, remains just that, a theory. Without any proof of a name on the outside of the Sphinx or a date stating the year it was made, Khafre’s connection to the Sphinx cannot be known for
This first act as king brought with him a shocking speculation and hostility between his throne and the priesthood of Amun. Inside the temple was an entirely new style of art, which was often described, as “naturalistic” in Akhenaten’s portrayal of the human body. No longer was the Pharaoh portrayed as half animal with the perfect body fitted for the afterlife. Akhenaten and the royal family were shown with long toes, massive hips, extremely long fingers, skinny torso, ample breasts, big buttocks, and an elongated face. This exaggeration of the royal family’s bodies altered classic Egyptian art and became better known as Amarna Art.
In the late 19th century, the Seated Statue of Ramesses II was uncovered in the Temple of Harsaphes, Heracleopolis, by Sir William Flinders Petrie (Horne 1985, 22). Currently, it rests in the Mummies Gallery in the Egyptian section of the Penn Museum. The king sits heroically with his hands resting on his lap and wears the nemes headdress on his head. Made of quartzite sandstone, the statue sits at an impressive height of 226 cm, with a width of 74 cm and length of 149 cm. On his arms, there are faint traces of red and the nemes headdress has touches of blue and yellow. When it was originally crafted, the statue’s colors would have been more prominent than they currently are; there also would have been a false beard inset that has been lost to history.
The lotus and papyrus plants between the pharaoh’s legs are the symbols of both Upper and Lower Egypt united, as for the God Horus at his head presents his divine status as ruler. His godly status was also sculpted in the shape of Khafre’s body. As a divine ruler, Khafre is portrayed with a built body and flawless face, an added trait regardless of his true age and appearance. In Egyptian standards, idealistic proportions were considered suitable for Pharaohs as they were presented to be god-like. Because of this principle, the statue is not realistic in terms of Khafre’s actual features.(Kleiner