Ka-aper
Title
Ka-aper
Date
2494 BCE - 2487 BCE or 5th Dynasty (The pharaoh around this time was Userkaf)
Artist or Workshop
Unknown
Materials
Sycamore with traces of paint. The eyes are constructed with copper, rock crystal.
Height of the work
112 cm tall
Provenience
Tomb of Kaaper, Saqqâra Necropolis, Egypt
Current Location
Egyptian Museum, Cairo
Description and Significance
Description:
The portrait of Ka-Aper is a standing statue of a somewhat heavy-set male, with a full neck and close cut hair. His features are constant throughout his body, his heavy-set body is accompanied by a fuller/wider nose and full lips. His eyes are inlaid with rock crystal and lined with copper. His head and face are rounder, and have softer features. He is in an upright position with his left foot extended slightly ahead of his right foot; this shows that there is motion within the figure. However, the figure is still compact, despite the movement in the figure, the appendages are still close to the sides of his body and center of gravity. The statue’s right arm is by its side and left arm is up holding a staff or cane, of some sort. His right hand can also be seen curled into a fist, with negative space in the middle (where something cylindrical could have been). It is at the arms, in which you can see that the figure was not carved from a single piece of sycamore, rather the body was made separately from the two arms and assembled at a later stage. The areas where the arms are attached are denoted by the two pin-like structures on the upper torso, where the shoulders are. Furthermore, the feet of the statue are also worth mentioning, with their careful detail. Each toe is carved into the foot and subsequently, each toenail is carved into each toe. Along with the physical features of the body, there are other aspects of the statue that should be addressed. First off, is the garment in which Ka-Aper is clothed; he is shown in a kilt with a large (emphasized) knot around his waist. Secondly, there is wear and tear on the statue. There is splitting of the wood, which show the age of the statue, and you can see a patch on his face, where the statue was probably broken and repaired.
Significance:
The artist’s depiction of the person and creation of the statue represents a number of things. The attire, staff, and body type are representative of a priest. His fuller body also represents that it illustrates someone who is of a higher socio-economic standing. In some cultures a fuller body showed that one was wealthier because they had access to enough food and resources. This feature, along with the detail in the face of the statue can also lead one to believe that it is probably a good representation of how the individual really looked at the time. The typical representation of the male body is to have it idealized and have sharp features. The statue of Ka-Aper does not follow this norm, he is seen with a full neck, full lips, large abdomen, and round head. The face strays from the usual sharp and narrow facial features of statues at the time. The facial features of this statue are softer than is usually seen (refer to the statue of Menkaure Dyad). It is not likely an idealism or a generalization. The alternative title of the statue is also significant; Sheikh el-Beled. The reason the statue is called this is because when it was discovered the people believed it to amazingly resemble their local elder. This is another reason it is believed that the statue is a realistic depiction of Ka-Aper, the statue actually resembles a real life human being, rather than an idealized representation of someone. Another unusual aspect of the statue is the material it is made from: sycamore. Statues are usually made from harder materials like stone but in this case the artist chose to use wood. He might have done this to further individualize the statue and/or because sycamore was relatively easy to obtain in Egypt at the time. The positioning of the appendages are also remarkable. The right arm and right leg are both extended, this gives the statue motion, which is not typical of statues during the 5th century. Statues in the 5th century tended to be compact and extremely grounded (again refer to the statue of Menkaure Dyad).
The portrait of Ka-Aper is a standing statue of a somewhat heavy-set male, with a full neck and close cut hair. His features are constant throughout his body, his heavy-set body is accompanied by a fuller/wider nose and full lips. His eyes are inlaid with rock crystal and lined with copper. His head and face are rounder, and have softer features. He is in an upright position with his left foot extended slightly ahead of his right foot; this shows that there is motion within the figure. However, the figure is still compact, despite the movement in the figure, the appendages are still close to the sides of his body and center of gravity. The statue’s right arm is by its side and left arm is up holding a staff or cane, of some sort. His right hand can also be seen curled into a fist, with negative space in the middle (where something cylindrical could have been). It is at the arms, in which you can see that the figure was not carved from a single piece of sycamore, rather the body was made separately from the two arms and assembled at a later stage. The areas where the arms are attached are denoted by the two pin-like structures on the upper torso, where the shoulders are. Furthermore, the feet of the statue are also worth mentioning, with their careful detail. Each toe is carved into the foot and subsequently, each toenail is carved into each toe. Along with the physical features of the body, there are other aspects of the statue that should be addressed. First off, is the garment in which Ka-Aper is clothed; he is shown in a kilt with a large (emphasized) knot around his waist. Secondly, there is wear and tear on the statue. There is splitting of the wood, which show the age of the statue, and you can see a patch on his face, where the statue was probably broken and repaired.
Significance:
The artist’s depiction of the person and creation of the statue represents a number of things. The attire, staff, and body type are representative of a priest. His fuller body also represents that it illustrates someone who is of a higher socio-economic standing. In some cultures a fuller body showed that one was wealthier because they had access to enough food and resources. This feature, along with the detail in the face of the statue can also lead one to believe that it is probably a good representation of how the individual really looked at the time. The typical representation of the male body is to have it idealized and have sharp features. The statue of Ka-Aper does not follow this norm, he is seen with a full neck, full lips, large abdomen, and round head. The face strays from the usual sharp and narrow facial features of statues at the time. The facial features of this statue are softer than is usually seen (refer to the statue of Menkaure Dyad). It is not likely an idealism or a generalization. The alternative title of the statue is also significant; Sheikh el-Beled. The reason the statue is called this is because when it was discovered the people believed it to amazingly resemble their local elder. This is another reason it is believed that the statue is a realistic depiction of Ka-Aper, the statue actually resembles a real life human being, rather than an idealized representation of someone. Another unusual aspect of the statue is the material it is made from: sycamore. Statues are usually made from harder materials like stone but in this case the artist chose to use wood. He might have done this to further individualize the statue and/or because sycamore was relatively easy to obtain in Egypt at the time. The positioning of the appendages are also remarkable. The right arm and right leg are both extended, this gives the statue motion, which is not typical of statues during the 5th century. Statues in the 5th century tended to be compact and extremely grounded (again refer to the statue of Menkaure Dyad).
References
“Tomb of Kaaper, excavated artifact, Kaaper front view: Head.” College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters (UM-Dearborn), 2017. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/image-idx?id=S-UMDVRC1IC-X-D06-101380%5DD06-101380
“Statue of Sheikh el-balad representing Ka-aper.” n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
http://www.globalegyptianmuseum.org/detail.aspx?id=14910
“Statue of Ka-aper.” n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
http://egyptopia.com/Statue+of+Ka-aper+The+Egyptian+Museum_30_382_47_en.html
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/image-idx?id=S-UMDVRC1IC-X-D06-101380%5DD06-101380
“Statue of Sheikh el-balad representing Ka-aper.” n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
http://www.globalegyptianmuseum.org/detail.aspx?id=14910
“Statue of Ka-aper.” n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
http://egyptopia.com/Statue+of+Ka-aper+The+Egyptian+Museum_30_382_47_en.html
Contributor
Soe Naing
Citation
Unknown, “Ka-aper,” Digital Portrait "Basket" - ARTH488A "Ancient Mediterranean Portraiture", accessed December 20, 2024, http://classicalchopped.artinterp.org/omeka/items/show/7.
Item Relations
This item has no relations.