Khafre Enthroned
Title
Khafre Enthroned
Date
4th dynasty (Old Kingdom), ca. 2540 BCE
Artist or Workshop
Unknown
Materials
Green diorite (anorthosite gneiss)
Height of the work
167.5 cm tall
Provenience
Egypt, Giza, antechamber to valley temple of Khafre
Current Location
Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Egypt, catalogue number 14.
Sitter Biography
Khafre (Chephren) was king of united Egypt, 4th Dynasty. He was son of earlier king Khufu. Khafre was one of the great builders of ancient Egypt, responsible for the pyramid associated with his name as well as the extensive burial complex attached to his pyramid. While some sources assert his reign lasted 60 years, most scholars agree he ruled a considerably shorter period of time, from c. 2558 BCE to c. 2532 BCE.
Description and Significance
Description:
Khafre is seated on a decorated throne. He is frontally posed, feet squared, arms to side. The statue observes rigorous vertical symmetry, the only exception being the varied positioning of the hands: the left hand lies flat, palm down, on the left thigh, while the right hand holds what is thought to be a tightly wrapped roll of linen vertically on the right thigh. Nude from the waist up, the king is wearing garments and accessories proclaiming his royal station: a pleated kilt (shendyt), a pharaonic headdress (nemes), a false ceremonial beard, and a raised serpent symbol (uraeus) on his headband. The god Horus, in the form of a falcon, embraces the back of Khafre's head with its wings. Khafre's gaze is direct and straight ahead. The face is youthful, serene, with a hint of a smile; ears large and protuberant, eyes blank, without incised pupils. The body is young and well muscled. Both sides of the throne are decorated with symbols: papyrus representing lower Egypt, lotus representing upper Egypt, and a sematawy (hieroglyphic representation of two lungs connected to a windpipe) between them representing the unification of Egypt. Side decorations are identical, except for positions of the plants: on left side of throne the lotus is in front, the payrus in back; on right side, the reverse. The inscription on base next to the king's feet reads: "The Horus of Gold Sekhem [He Who Possesses Power], Khafre [Re Appears in Glory], the Good God, Lord of the Eastern Horizon [or the Lord Who Appears in Glory]." Lions heads are carved on the front of the throne, the legs and paws forming the legs and feet of the throne. Remarkably well preserved, the statue's only significant damage is to the left forearm, the left knee and shin, and the lower right corner and upper right corner of the throne.
Significance:
This statue is one of 23 assumed to have existed in Khafre's valley temple. It established the canon for royal depictions that prevailed in Egypt for centuries to follow. In its massive compactness the sculpture follows the square contours of the original block from which it was carved. Khafre's static body repeats the orthogonal outline of the throne upon which he sits. The strength and youthful vigor of the figure proclaims the solidity and potency of Khafre's reign. The serenity of the facial expression conveys the supreme confidence of Khafre's sovereignty, unaffected by worry or doubt. The winged embrace by the falcon-god Horus seals a divine blessing on the person of the king, marking him as the conduit of divinity to his earthly kingdom. Made from extremely hard green diorite, flecked with highly reflective imbedded minerals, the statue was brought to a high polish, burnishing the king's divine status. As a cult object, the statue embodies the king's ka, or life spirit, ensuring continuance after death.
Khafre is seated on a decorated throne. He is frontally posed, feet squared, arms to side. The statue observes rigorous vertical symmetry, the only exception being the varied positioning of the hands: the left hand lies flat, palm down, on the left thigh, while the right hand holds what is thought to be a tightly wrapped roll of linen vertically on the right thigh. Nude from the waist up, the king is wearing garments and accessories proclaiming his royal station: a pleated kilt (shendyt), a pharaonic headdress (nemes), a false ceremonial beard, and a raised serpent symbol (uraeus) on his headband. The god Horus, in the form of a falcon, embraces the back of Khafre's head with its wings. Khafre's gaze is direct and straight ahead. The face is youthful, serene, with a hint of a smile; ears large and protuberant, eyes blank, without incised pupils. The body is young and well muscled. Both sides of the throne are decorated with symbols: papyrus representing lower Egypt, lotus representing upper Egypt, and a sematawy (hieroglyphic representation of two lungs connected to a windpipe) between them representing the unification of Egypt. Side decorations are identical, except for positions of the plants: on left side of throne the lotus is in front, the payrus in back; on right side, the reverse. The inscription on base next to the king's feet reads: "The Horus of Gold Sekhem [He Who Possesses Power], Khafre [Re Appears in Glory], the Good God, Lord of the Eastern Horizon [or the Lord Who Appears in Glory]." Lions heads are carved on the front of the throne, the legs and paws forming the legs and feet of the throne. Remarkably well preserved, the statue's only significant damage is to the left forearm, the left knee and shin, and the lower right corner and upper right corner of the throne.
Significance:
This statue is one of 23 assumed to have existed in Khafre's valley temple. It established the canon for royal depictions that prevailed in Egypt for centuries to follow. In its massive compactness the sculpture follows the square contours of the original block from which it was carved. Khafre's static body repeats the orthogonal outline of the throne upon which he sits. The strength and youthful vigor of the figure proclaims the solidity and potency of Khafre's reign. The serenity of the facial expression conveys the supreme confidence of Khafre's sovereignty, unaffected by worry or doubt. The winged embrace by the falcon-god Horus seals a divine blessing on the person of the king, marking him as the conduit of divinity to his earthly kingdom. Made from extremely hard green diorite, flecked with highly reflective imbedded minerals, the statue was brought to a high polish, burnishing the king's divine status. As a cult object, the statue embodies the king's ka, or life spirit, ensuring continuance after death.
References
Flentye, Laurel. "The Decorative Programmes of the Pyramid
Complexes of Khufu and Khafre at Giza." Old Kingdoms, New
Perspectives: Egyptian Art and Archaeology 2750-2150
BC, edited by Nigel Strudwick and Helen Strudwick, Oxbow
Books, 2011, pp. 77-92.
Gardner's Art Through the Ages. 6th ed., Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, 1975.
Grzymski, K. "Royal Statuary." Egyptian Art in the Age of the
Pyramids. Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000, pp.51-56.
Panofsky, Erwin. Meaning in the Visual Arts. Doubleday, 1955.
"Statue of Chephren," Artstor Digital Library,
http://library.artstor.org/#/asset/AWSS35953_35953_31674928.
Accessed 3 Feb 2018.
Complexes of Khufu and Khafre at Giza." Old Kingdoms, New
Perspectives: Egyptian Art and Archaeology 2750-2150
BC, edited by Nigel Strudwick and Helen Strudwick, Oxbow
Books, 2011, pp. 77-92.
Gardner's Art Through the Ages. 6th ed., Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, 1975.
Grzymski, K. "Royal Statuary." Egyptian Art in the Age of the
Pyramids. Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000, pp.51-56.
Panofsky, Erwin. Meaning in the Visual Arts. Doubleday, 1955.
"Statue of Chephren," Artstor Digital Library,
http://library.artstor.org/#/asset/AWSS35953_35953_31674928.
Accessed 3 Feb 2018.
Contributor
Mark Weadon
Citation
Unknown, “Khafre Enthroned,” Digital Portrait "Basket" - ARTH488A - "Ancient Mediterranean Portraiture", accessed May 20, 2024, https://classicalchopped2.artinterp.org/omeka/items/show/9.
Item Relations
This item has no relations.