Jennifer Raboteau-Siler: Statues of ancient egypt

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This user gallery has been created by an independent third party and may not represent the views of the institutions whose collections include the featured works or of Google Arts & Culture.

Even though Egyptian Art was created thousands of years ago, we are still learning so much about it today. The Egyptians had a unique style that was completely their own and used the materials they found near them to create lavish artwork that we can admire in present day. You can learn a lot about Egyptian culture through their artwork, and really uncover what they are passionate about. While you can see art in paintings, and pottery, the majority of their work comes from the beautiful temples that they built. The Egyptians were able to build massive temples with their primitive technology. Often times the temples included large statues in tribute to either their king or one of their many gods they worshiped. Throughout their temples you can also see detailed paintings, and well-made reliefs in the stone. These often tell stories that give us more insight into their ancient culture. Another window into times in ancient Egypt can be seen through their tombs. The Egyptians were known to create tombs for their dead, they would try to wrap and preserve their bodies for the afterlife. In the tombs, you can find the dead’s most precious items. Typically, those who were afforded a tomb were of high political status, often times a pharaoh, king, or a ruler of some other kind. To them, the most precious thing that they could fill their tombs with were jewelry. Jewelry is another type of creativity we see coming from ancient Egypt, and it appeared to only be given to royalty. Common materials that the jewelry was made from were gold, lapis lazuli, and turquoise. There was a massive amount of detail that were put into making necklaces and head dresses. The ancient Egyptians created a culture that centered on art. You can see that to them, temples, tombs, statues, and jewelry were all status symbols that they wanted to show to the outside world and for generations to come. The following artworks are all statues from ancient Egypt. Some are of political officials made for tombs, others are statues that are made as tribute to gods and put in temples. Each statue tells a story about who they are representing, while they are all made for different reasons, they all share similarities, whether that be the style, the material, the time period, or a god that it was associated with. Though it is not too difficult for these statues to share the same qualities because they came from the same culture, a culture rich with history. I chose these individual pieces because I thought that they showed a great amount of character while really accenting the skill of artistry that came from ancient Egypt. Much like artists of the modern era, we create things based upon our passions and what we love, and what the passions of artists of ancient Egypt are (power, entitlement, gods, and eternity), are clearly shown in these statues. Journey with me, as we uncover the statues, and the passions of ancient Egypt.

Statue of Lady Sennuwy, Unknown, 1971 B.C. - 1926 B.C., From the collection of: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Statue of Lady Sennuwy of Asyut Egyptian Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12, reign of Senwosret I1971–1926 B.C. 67 x 45 3/4 x 18 1/2 in., 2700 lb The statue of Lady Sennuwy is shaped and polished granodiorite, this technique would have required a fair amount of skill only a high level of craftman would be able to accomplish. Granodiorite is very similar to granite, in that it is a very heavy, hard material. The Lady Sennuwy is shown to be a slender young women in garments that were culturally normal. She is wearing a long tunic dress that goes down to about mid-calf and is draped on her body. Sennuwy sits upright on a block-style chair, with her left hand in her lap, and her right hand is holding a lotus blossom, the symbol of rebirth for the Egyptians. Because the lotus closes each night, and opens each morning, Egyptians associated this with the sun and worshipped it accordingly. Some Ancient Egyptians believed that the sun-god was birthed from the lotus. On the side of the statue are hieroglyphics that state she is in the presence of Osiris, among other deities commonly associated with the afterlife. While often times the Egyptian god Osiris is usually identified as the god of the afterlife, a more appropriate description would be the god of transition into the afterlife. The Lady Sennuwy was the wife of a political leader in ancient Egypt, named Djefaihapi of Asyut. This gives the statue some context, not every common man would be allowed such a grand statue, but the fact that she had ties with a political leader would give her more entitlement to have a statue constructed in her honor. http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/statue-of-lady-sennuwy-141967 https://www.nps.gov/goga/learn/education/granite-and-granodiorite-faq.htm http://www.egyptianmyths.net/lotus.htm

Figurine of the Goddess Wadjet, Unknown, 26th Dynasty, circa 664-525 B.C., From the collection of: Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Figurine of the Goddess Wadjet Egyptian 26th Dynasty, circa 664-525 BC Height: 13 in. (33 cm) The goddess wadjet was the protectress of the king and tutelary deity of Lower Egypt. Although the origin still remains uncertain, historians believe that the name Wadjet may mean, “the green or fresh one” or some think that the name may mean, “she of the papyrus.” Adding in some context, that the Egyptians thought that she was responsible for creating the papyrus swamps, according to one of the pyramid texts. Though there were several goddesses with the head of a lion the inscription on the base dedicates this to Wadjet. This statue was dedicated as an offering, and because of the culture most likely was as a container for a sacred animal’s remains. The figure remains mostly intact, although some art historians believe that she would be holding a scepter in her extended left hand, as it appears to be clenching something with her hand. The head is the head of a lion with some hair, very traditional for Egyptian sculptures, draped around the neck. She has a headdress on with a snake attached. The body of the statue is narrow-waisted and refined, with prominent breasts, slightly broad shoulders and somewhat enlarged hips. She appears to be wearing a garment, although the garment is rather thin and comes down to about mid-calf which is traditional for ancient Egyptian culture and style, we see that in other statues and paintings of the same time period. Looking at the statue closer, you can see details of jewelry, there are bracelets around each wrist, as well as arm bands on her upper arm, and a necklace around her neck. Her stance is also very traditional for Egyptian statues and artwork of that time, one front almost exactly in front of the other, keeping it very consistent. The whole statue is made of bronze and well preserved. http://collections.lacma.org/node/230340 http://www.joanannlansberry.com/fotoart/lacma/wadjet.html

Limestone statue and stelae from the offering chapel of Inyotef, -1930/-1930, From the collection of: British Museum

Limestone Statue and Stelae from the offering chapel of Inyotef Egyptian 1930 BC Height: 72.00cm; Width: 19.00cm; Depth: 29.00cm This statue was found in a chapel named Abydos which was the principal cult center of Osiris. For the ancient Egyptians, Osiris was a god of restoration, transition, and resurrection. In the chapel, there would be a table which visitors could place an offering that would be made to the deceased in the presence of their god Osiris. The statue is of a man sitting on what appears to be a throne, he has long hair that drapes around his shoulders. He has well-defined muscles, and his hands lay on his lap. His garments are thin, and drape down to mid-calf which is consistent to ancient Egyptian style. Research has shown that the stones were arranged in a particular way, and that they were created with care and attention. That is clearly evident in how well this statue was preserved, it is in great condition for its age. This statue is believed to be one of many that came from the chapel. Historians believe that the chapel that this statue came from also contained others similar but with small differences to this one. This statue is one of three that were recovered. The texts that are carved into the stone are mainly prayers and praises of the gods, they are all written in hieroglyphics. One of the other stelae that was recovered from the chapel has similar texts but also includes a much idealized autobiography, which is very interesting. Among all of the stelae recovered from this chapel, it is believed that this statue in particular would be the focal point of the chapel. The statue is made from limestone which was abundant for the Egyptians, there are a lot of other statues made up of the same material. Limestone is a slightly softer rock, making it a more difficult material to work with. http://culturalinstitute.britishmuseum.org/asset-viewer/limestone-statue-and-stelae-from-the-offering-chapel-of-inyotef/0AFXBqYN7MG0bA?hl=en

Kneeling Statue of Khaemwaset, Unknown, 1281-1277 B.C., From the collection of: Brooklyn Museum

Kneeling Statue of Khaemwaset Egyptian 1281-1277 BCE 25 3/16 x 8 11/16 x 28 3/4 in. (64 x 22 x 73 cm) Although is cannot be certain, historians believe that this statue was made from diorite. Diorite has would compare closely with granite in terms of how one would manipulate it, a heavy, hard stone. Unlike the rest however, this statue is not in great condition, it is just a portion of the original statue. The portion that has been recovered is a figure of a man who is kneeling, you see a side-view from his waist to the floor that looks like more of a relief. His legs show a great deal of muscle, giving him a “youthful strength.” If you look closely there is a design of what looks like to be a belt around his waist, and lines that would suggest some sort of traditional ancient Egyptian clothing that goes down to the middle of his thigh. This clothing is different from the statues before it, because the “hem-line” is higher on the leg. From the research that has been done on this piece, the figure is Khaemwaset. Khaemwaset was one of the sons of the pharaoh Ramesses II, he was the fourth son. He was known for studying and restoring ancient monuments that were built hundreds of years earlier, including the pyramids. Due to the size of what the original statue would have been, it suggests that Khaemwaset was well-respected among his people. Based upon the details that were carved into the stone, shows Khaemwaset’s nobility. The text that has been carved into the stone give Khaemwaset several titles including Hereditary Prince, King’s son, Sem-priest, chief directing artisans. The text also reveals that the statue in its original form held an image of a god, probably Ptah. Ptah was the chief god of the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis. The Egyptians believed that Ptah was the creator god, through which all things came to be. https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/46579/Kneeling_Statue_of_Khaemwaset

Group Statue of Ka-nefer and His Family, c. 2465–2323 B.C., From the collection of: Kimbell Art Museum

Group statue of Ka-nefer and His Family Egyptian 2465-2323 BC 13 5/8 × 5 3/4 × 8 7/8 in. (34.6 × 14.6 × 22.5 cm) This statue is of a seated court official and his wife and son. Ka-nefer is seated on a throne, he is well defined with long dark hair. His hands are laying on his lap, and he is wearing a garment that starts at his waist and hits right above the knees. To his right is a small boy, his son, and to his left a small woman, his wife. His wife and son are much smaller than he is, probably to show how important he was more than his wife or son. Scale was often used to show rank and importance, in the ancient Egyptian culture the man would be the most important individual in the household. Especially, because this was found at a tomb, we can use the contexts clues in the statue to assume that the statue was made for Ka-nefer’s tomb but never made it in. Ka-nefer’s tomb has yet to be discovered. Ancient Egyptians believed that the statues also housed spirits. Based upon the features that are craved into the face, we can safely assume that this was around the time of the reign of King Sahure, making this piece much older than the others. You can tell the difference in the lack of refinement in the facial features compared to the others. This statue is made of limestone, and has traces of paint that was used as decoration. You can see small amounts of the paints color on the hair and eyes, as well as traces on the jewelry, skin and garments. Art historians recovered this statue from the sight of a tomb. Inscriptions on the statue, state Ka-nefer as “Overseer of the Craftsmen, Priest of Ptah.” This is another instance of the god Ptah, the ancient Egyptian creator god, that they believed through him all things came to be. https://www.kimbellart.org/collection-object/group-statue-ka-nefer-and-his-family

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This user gallery has been created by an independent third party and may not represent the views of the institutions whose collections include the featured works or of Google Arts & Culture.

Brooklyn Museum

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Kimbell Art Museum

British Museum

Los Angeles County Museum of Art