Through the Eras

Visual ArtsHIGH POINT. Egyptian art of the Old Kingdom(2675–2170 B.C.E.) reached a high point of accomplishmentwhich scholars often associate with a strongcentral government. Clearly the royal workshop had themeans to command the best artists and supply them withthe most costly materials. Though political weakness orstrength does not necessarily determine the quality ofthe art of the times, the Old Kingdom was certainly aperiod when political strength and artistic accomplishmentoverlapped. The art created in this period portraysthe king, the bureaucracy, and the workers according toa set of conventions developed in this period and followedthroughout ancient Egyptian history.Head of a king. BROOKLYN MUSEUM OF ART, 46.167, CHARLESEDWIN WILBOUR FUND. REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION.SEE ALSO Architecture: The North/South PyramidComplex: King Djoser’s Complex at SaqqaraTHE OLD KINGDOMKHAFRE. The statue of King Khafre (2555–2532B.C.E.) portrays the builder of the second pyramid atGiza and patron of the Great Sphinx. The statue illustratesthe intersection of skilled craftsmanship and rarematerials resulting in superior work. It also exemplifiesOld Kingdom artists’ approach to portraying the king asan all-powerful, godlike ruler. The statue is one of severalof this king from his mortuary temple, attached tohis pyramid. The sculptor carved this statue from diorite,a very hard stone that takes a high polish. Thoughthe gray-green color of the stone would have been disguisedby the paint Egyptian artists added to statues, thestone’s quality allowed the sculptor to model details ina way that would not have been possible in a softer stone.Moreover, the Egyptians imported this diorite fromNubia, making it rare and expensive. This statue is alsoan early example of the standard interpretation of theseated king as a conventional subject. Khafre sits on alion throne, a royal chair with legs carved to resemblelions. The side panels of the chair display the hieroglyphicsign that proclaims that Upper and Lower Egyptare united into a single political entity. Other seatedstatues of Khafre include the unification motif, but noton lion thrones. The king wears the Nemes kerchief—the blue and gold striped cloth restricted to kings—witha Uraeus—the figure of the sacred serpent, an emblemof sovereignty depicted on headdresses—also standardfor seated, royal statues. The king wears a square beard,indicative that the statue represents him in life ratherthan associating him with Osiris through the beard thatcurves upward at the end. Perched on the king’s back isa Horus falcon, representing the god protecting the kingwith his wings. The falcon on the king’s back might becompared to relief sculptures of the king with a falconhovering above him. This, indeed, might be the way thatthe artist intended for viewers to interpret the falcon,indicating that the king is the living Horus on earth. Theartist has sensitively modeled the king’s face with wideopen eyes, a broad nose, philtrum, and sensitive lips. Theartist has also exploited the quality of the stone to carvethe king’s broad shoulders, muscular arms, and modeledchest. The king reaches for offerings in the now standardway with his left hand and probably held someobject associated with his office in his right hand. Thehieroglyphs carved on the statue base are oriented to theviewer and identify the king by name following the standardconvention. Overall, the statue conveys a sense of280 Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt (2675 B.C.E.–332 B.C.E.)