Khafre Enthroned
Title
Khafre Enthroned
Date
4th Dynasty, about 2540-2505 BC
Artist or Workshop
Unkown
Materials
Anorthosite Gneiss
Height of the work
120cm tall
Provenience
Giza, Valley Temple of Khafre, Mariette excavation 1860
Current Location
The Egyptian Museum in Cairo
Description and Significance
Description:
The funerary statue titled Khafre Enthroned is a portrait of the Pharaoh Khafre seated upon a throne. The sculpture is luminous, streaked, and dark in color, due to the polished gneiss stone from which it was carved. Because of the luminous quality of the stone, it is believed that this work was not painted. The figure is carved in a stiff, frontal position with his head facing forward and his arms close to his body. His arms rest atop his thighs, and his right hand is forming a fist while his left lies flat against his thigh. The figure’s limbs are pressed tightly to his body and there is no negative space in the work. His face is smooth and serene, showing little expression. He wears a nemes headdress, pleated kilt called a shendyt, and a false beard in traditional royal costume. The body of the figure is smooth and muscular with his chest and arms bare, but has suffered some damage in the left forearm and calf. The figure sits rigidly upright against the back of the throne, while a falcon, the god Horus, sits behind the figure at the back of the throne, wrapping his wings around the Pharaoh’s head. The throne he sits on is carved in light relief, depicting sedge and papyrus plants on the sides. Two lions form the legs of the throne, flanking the Pharaoh on either side.
Significance:
Both the idealized nature of the figure and the symbols within the sculpture help to illustrate the Pharaoh’s kingly and divine status. This sculpture comes from the valley temple of Khafre, a pillared hall in which twenty-three statues of the seated king were arranged. This suggests ritualistic context for this sculpture due to its placement as one of many other sculptures depicting the king in a similar way. The material used in this sculpture is gneiss, which is difficult to work with and is found in Nubia, just south of Egypt, suggesting the king’s control of other lands. The sculptor may have chosen this material because of its luminous and glowing quality in the sunlight. Some historians believe these intense optical properties of the stone can be associated with the cult of Horus, adding a divine element to the work. Horus himself is depicted in the sculpture, sitting behind Khafre’s head as a protector. The relief in the side of the throne depicts papyrus leaves and perhaps a sedge plant, signifying Khafre’s rule over both Upper and Lower Egypt and the union of these two lands. The King himself is rendered as smooth and idealized in the traditional Old Kingdom canon. His musculature is defined and his face is peaceful and refined. He is posed in a typical position of a king, and wears traditional royal garb. His formulaic pose, clothing, and facial rendering suggest that the sculptor was less focused on likeness and rather on using motifs and traditions in order to convey power and status.
The funerary statue titled Khafre Enthroned is a portrait of the Pharaoh Khafre seated upon a throne. The sculpture is luminous, streaked, and dark in color, due to the polished gneiss stone from which it was carved. Because of the luminous quality of the stone, it is believed that this work was not painted. The figure is carved in a stiff, frontal position with his head facing forward and his arms close to his body. His arms rest atop his thighs, and his right hand is forming a fist while his left lies flat against his thigh. The figure’s limbs are pressed tightly to his body and there is no negative space in the work. His face is smooth and serene, showing little expression. He wears a nemes headdress, pleated kilt called a shendyt, and a false beard in traditional royal costume. The body of the figure is smooth and muscular with his chest and arms bare, but has suffered some damage in the left forearm and calf. The figure sits rigidly upright against the back of the throne, while a falcon, the god Horus, sits behind the figure at the back of the throne, wrapping his wings around the Pharaoh’s head. The throne he sits on is carved in light relief, depicting sedge and papyrus plants on the sides. Two lions form the legs of the throne, flanking the Pharaoh on either side.
Significance:
Both the idealized nature of the figure and the symbols within the sculpture help to illustrate the Pharaoh’s kingly and divine status. This sculpture comes from the valley temple of Khafre, a pillared hall in which twenty-three statues of the seated king were arranged. This suggests ritualistic context for this sculpture due to its placement as one of many other sculptures depicting the king in a similar way. The material used in this sculpture is gneiss, which is difficult to work with and is found in Nubia, just south of Egypt, suggesting the king’s control of other lands. The sculptor may have chosen this material because of its luminous and glowing quality in the sunlight. Some historians believe these intense optical properties of the stone can be associated with the cult of Horus, adding a divine element to the work. Horus himself is depicted in the sculpture, sitting behind Khafre’s head as a protector. The relief in the side of the throne depicts papyrus leaves and perhaps a sedge plant, signifying Khafre’s rule over both Upper and Lower Egypt and the union of these two lands. The King himself is rendered as smooth and idealized in the traditional Old Kingdom canon. His musculature is defined and his face is peaceful and refined. He is posed in a typical position of a king, and wears traditional royal garb. His formulaic pose, clothing, and facial rendering suggest that the sculptor was less focused on likeness and rather on using motifs and traditions in order to convey power and status.
References
Book: Stokstad, Marilyn, and Michael Watt Cothren. "Art of Ancient Egypt." Art History. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2014. 57-58. Print.
Saleh, Mohamed, and Hourig Sourouzian. The Egyptian Museum, Cairo: Official Catalog. Mainz: P. Von Zabern, 1987. 31. Print.
Saleh, Mohamed, and Hourig Sourouzian. The Egyptian Museum, Cairo: Official Catalog. Mainz: P. Von Zabern, 1987. 31. Print.
Arnold, Dieter. "Old Kingdom Statues In Their Architectural Setting." Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids:. By John P. O'Neill and James P. Allen. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1999. 42. Print.
Janson, H. W., and Penelope J. E. Davies. "Chapter Three: Egyptian Art." Janson's History of Art: The Western Tradition. New York: Learning Solutions, 2011. 59. Print.
Contributor
Megan May
Citation
Unkown, “Khafre Enthroned,” Digital Portrait "Basket" - ARTH488A "Ancient Mediterranean Portraiture", accessed April 25, 2024, http://classicalchopped.artinterp.org/omeka/items/show/8.
Item Relations
This item has no relations.