Through the Eras

Visual ArtsKneeling statue of Senenmut. BROOKLYN MUSEUM OF ART, 67.68,CHARLES EDWIN WILBOUR FUND. REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION.Seated statue of a youthful Hatshepsut, queen of ancientEgypt. © CORBIS-BETTMANN. REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION.ways of presenting Hatshepsut as a female king, but stillconvey the same message of strength that Egyptians expectedin representations of their ruler. One solution wasto present Hatshepsut in traditional royal poses, regardlessof her gender. Thus one statue of Hatshepsut showsher as a seated king comparable to the seated statues ofKhafre made in the Fourth Dynasty or of Senwosret IIImade in the Twelfth Dynasty. Hatshepsut’s torso is moreslender than her royal predecessors, but she sits on asimilar throne in a Nemes kerchief and wears the sameshendjet kilt. A statue in Cairo shows Hatshepsut kneelingwith two jars, the same pose that Pepi I took in onestatuette. Again she wears the Nemes kerchief and theshendjet kilt. When she wore traditional clothing or posedin a traditional manner, she evoked for ancient viewersthe timeless traditions of royalty. Hatshepsut’s artists alsoportrayed her as a sphinx. This tradition had been popularin the Twelfth Dynasty and helped artists avoid thedifficulties of portraying her body since they needed onlyto show her face attached to a lion’s body. Hatshepsut’sface was characterized by arched eyebrows that gaveher a slightly surprised facial expression. Her eye dippedslightly at the inner corner. A flat, long cosmetic linethat she often wore resembles her Eleventh-dynasty predecessors.Her nose was aquiline, and she pursed her lipsin most of her statues. These facial characteristics wererepeated in statues of Thutmose III, her co-ruler andlater the sole ruler after her death. Since it is clear thatthey were not related by blood, it is significant that artistspresented both of them with a nearly identical face.Though one or another facial characteristic might haveArts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt (2675 B.C.E.–332 B.C.E.) 295