Tutankhamun on a Lotus
Title
Tutankhamun on a Lotus
Date
c. 1325 BCE 18th Dynasty (New Kingdom)
Artist or Workshop
Unknown
Materials
Wood, gesso coating, paint
Height of the work
30 cm tall
Provenience
Egypt, Thebes, Valley of the Kings, entryway of tomb KV62
Current Location
Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Egypt
Sitter Biography
Tutankhamun was a pharaoh during the 18th Dynasty c. 1334-1325 BCE. He was successor to his father Akhenaten, who had implemented the dramatic monotheistic overhaul of Egyptian religion, focused on the worship of Aten, the sun disk. From analysis of his mummy found within the tomb, and the knowledge of the duration of his reign, he is estimated to have been about nine years old upon assumption of the throne. Tutankhamun’s reign is characterized largely, despite its brief duration, by the reversal of dramatic changes made by his father. He changed his name from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamun to reflect a return to the worship of Amun, and he moved the capital away from Amarna, with renewed focus on Thebes and Memphis. These changes may have been motivated more by his advisors than any traditionalism on his part, particularly due to his youth. After his sudden death, he was buried in KV62, an uncharacteristically small tomb for a pharaoh, but laden with treasures nonetheless.
Description and Significance
Description
The bust presents a young Tutankhamun from the neck up, perched on a blue lotus, blossoming from a blue base. Tutankhamun is portrayed with features characteristic of the Amarna style: an elongated skull, full lips, a fleshy face and neck. His head, seemingly just shaved, is covered with hair rendered in tiny, black specks of paint. His eyebrows are boldly painted; his eyes, accentuated with traditional Egyptian makeup, kohl, that may have been a more vibrant blue reminiscent of lapis lazuli. Not much attention is paid to differentiating the iris from the pupil, but the whites are represented. His ears protrude and his earlobes are pierced. Remnants of the jewelry that would have adorned the bust can be seen in his left earlobe: presumably, the figure was stripped of valuables in antiquity. His skin is painted with a red-brown typical of males in Egyptian art. Moving down the bust, a delicately painted blue lotus can be seen opening, with a backdrop of white paint. The stalk of the lotus is ribbed, and larger, darker leaves enclose the budding petals. There is visible damage with paint chipping on the nose and his left cheek. In addition, a dramatic split is observed on the left side of the face, extending from the top of his forehead down to his chin.
Significance
Tutankhamun’s relatively brief reign marks a return to the traditional, polytheistic pantheon after the dramatic religious and cultural overhaul of the Amarna period under Akhenaten. Even so, the figure is still rendered with features characteristic of the Amarna style: the most pronounced being his elongated head. The image of the lotus is a significant motif in Egyptian mythology and funerary decoration. The lotus also has mythological associations. An Egyptian cosmogony attests that there was a primordial sea from which a lotus grew, and from this original lotus, the sun god Amun emerged. The blue base is certainly reminiscent of water, and with Tutankhamun’s head emerging from the lotus, the bust alludes to this creation myth. Just as the sun rises and sets, the lotus closes and opens its petals, suggesting a continuous rebirth and renewal. Though he retains his connection to his family with features from the distinctive Amarna style, Tutankhamun, by strengthening his connections to the sun god Amun, breaks from the religious program of his father simultaneously.
The bust presents a young Tutankhamun from the neck up, perched on a blue lotus, blossoming from a blue base. Tutankhamun is portrayed with features characteristic of the Amarna style: an elongated skull, full lips, a fleshy face and neck. His head, seemingly just shaved, is covered with hair rendered in tiny, black specks of paint. His eyebrows are boldly painted; his eyes, accentuated with traditional Egyptian makeup, kohl, that may have been a more vibrant blue reminiscent of lapis lazuli. Not much attention is paid to differentiating the iris from the pupil, but the whites are represented. His ears protrude and his earlobes are pierced. Remnants of the jewelry that would have adorned the bust can be seen in his left earlobe: presumably, the figure was stripped of valuables in antiquity. His skin is painted with a red-brown typical of males in Egyptian art. Moving down the bust, a delicately painted blue lotus can be seen opening, with a backdrop of white paint. The stalk of the lotus is ribbed, and larger, darker leaves enclose the budding petals. There is visible damage with paint chipping on the nose and his left cheek. In addition, a dramatic split is observed on the left side of the face, extending from the top of his forehead down to his chin.
Significance
Tutankhamun’s relatively brief reign marks a return to the traditional, polytheistic pantheon after the dramatic religious and cultural overhaul of the Amarna period under Akhenaten. Even so, the figure is still rendered with features characteristic of the Amarna style: the most pronounced being his elongated head. The image of the lotus is a significant motif in Egyptian mythology and funerary decoration. The lotus also has mythological associations. An Egyptian cosmogony attests that there was a primordial sea from which a lotus grew, and from this original lotus, the sun god Amun emerged. The blue base is certainly reminiscent of water, and with Tutankhamun’s head emerging from the lotus, the bust alludes to this creation myth. Just as the sun rises and sets, the lotus closes and opens its petals, suggesting a continuous rebirth and renewal. Though he retains his connection to his family with features from the distinctive Amarna style, Tutankhamun, by strengthening his connections to the sun god Amun, breaks from the religious program of his father simultaneously.
References
Amenta, Alessia. 2005. The Treasures of Tutankhamun: And the Egyptian Museum of Cairo. Vercelli: White Star. 195.
Breckenridge, James D. 1968. Likeness; a Conceptual History of Ancient Portraiture. Evanston Ill: Northwestern University Press. 50-63.
Edwards, I. E. S, Harry Burton, Lee Boltin, and Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.). 1976. Tutankhamun, His Tomb and Its Treasures. 1st ed. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. 22.
Edwards, I. E. S, and National Gallery of Art (U.S.). 1976. Treasures of Tutankhamun. 1st ed. New York: Ballantine Books. 99.
Wente, Edward F. “Tutankhamun and His World” in Treasures of Tutankhamun. 1st ed. New York: Ballantine Books. 19-31.
Breckenridge, James D. 1968. Likeness; a Conceptual History of Ancient Portraiture. Evanston Ill: Northwestern University Press. 50-63.
Edwards, I. E. S, Harry Burton, Lee Boltin, and Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.). 1976. Tutankhamun, His Tomb and Its Treasures. 1st ed. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. 22.
Edwards, I. E. S, and National Gallery of Art (U.S.). 1976. Treasures of Tutankhamun. 1st ed. New York: Ballantine Books. 99.
Wente, Edward F. “Tutankhamun and His World” in Treasures of Tutankhamun. 1st ed. New York: Ballantine Books. 19-31.
Contributor
Jonathan Clark
Citation
Unknown, “Tutankhamun on a Lotus,” Digital Portrait "Basket" - ARTH488A - "Ancient Mediterranean Portraiture", accessed May 20, 2024, https://classicalchopped2.artinterp.org/omeka/items/show/22.
Item Relations
This item has no relations.