How would you describe this person? How are they dressed? What do you notice about the way they are
How would you describe this person? How are they dressed? What do you notice about the way they are sitting? What details jump out to you?This seated figure is Senwosret III, a pharaoh of the Middle Kingdom in Egypt. This statue is a fabulous example of typical pharaonic portraiture, and we can use it as a starting point for thinking about how to “read” other statues of Egyptian kings. Let’s start with what he is wearing. There are two elements of his clothing that are particularly telling: his headdress and his kilt. The headdress, with its many stripes, hangs down over his head with two ear-like flaps at the front and is gathered almost like a pony-tail at the back. This is a nemes headdress, a striped headcloth that the pharaohs wore. Originally a uraeus, a cobra symbolic of the goddess Wadjet and of the pharaoh’s ability to strike at enemies, would have appeared at the front of the headdress, right at the forehead. The pleated skirt is a shendyt kilt - again, a type of kilt that was specific to pharaohs. The belt ends in a bull’s tail hanging down the pharaoh’s back, which you can see between his legs on this statue.What about Senwosret’s position? He sits up very straight, looking straight ahead. This position may suggest that this statue would have been the recipient of offerings made to the pharaoh. My favorite detail appears under his feet. There are nine curved lines - the so-called “nine bows” of Egypt, a traditional symbol for enemies of Egypt. What does it mean that the enemies of Egypt are under the pharaoh’s feet? He has vanquished them - and will continue to vanquish them - as Egypt’s leader and as defender of ma’at (cosmic order).Browse the Brooklyn Museum’s open collections to view other images of ancient Egyptian kings and see how many of these elements you can find! What aspects of other statues are similar to this one? Which are different?Posted by Christina MarinelliKing Senwosret III, ca. 1836-1818 B.C.E. Granite, 21 7/16 x 7 ½ x 13 11/16 in. (54.5 x 19 x 34.7 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 52.1. Creative Commons-BY -- source link
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