New Kingdom Royal statues

New Kingdom Royal statues:

Kneeling statue of King Thutmosis III:

This type of statues is first found in the statuary of Khafrea. The kneeling

statue of Thutmosis III is one of the masterpieces of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. It is made of marble and was found at Deir el Madina.

It is about 26 cm. high. The king is shown kneeling on a base, he is wearing the nemes-headdress and the Shendjit- kilt.

The two spherical jars held by the king are known as the nu-jars, they were supposed to be filled with wine or milk. On the back pillar, the text gives his name and titles, and informs us that the offering is made to Amun.

The image of the king is full of youth and gentleness. It is a

replica of many larger statues of the king. Most probably the statue was offered as an ex-voto in one of the Theban temples, then stolen and hidden at Deir el Madina.

The bust of King Amenhotep IV (Akhenaton)-18^th Dyansty:

It was made os sandstone and was found at Karnak in the temple of Aten. It is about 153 cm. high.

The statues of King Akhenaten introduce a new art style which breaks with the traditional royal iconography.

This was one of the statues erected by the King in the temple of Aten at Karnak at the beginning of his reign.

These were the first statues that introduced the new conception of the king as in intermediate  between God and men.

Akhenaton’s features included long half-closed eyes with heavy eye-lids, long delicate nose, protruding mouth, long ears with pierced lobes, wrinkle lines on the neck, deformed body with protruding belly and round breast.

Divine Sculpture

Divine statues housed the spirits of ancient Egyptian gods. They were considered to be alive through rituals.

Divinities are represented in three major forms: Human figures, animal figures or a mixture of the two.

 Divine statues had several different applications: Cult statues, votive statues and guardian statues.

Cult statues: The cult statues inhabited the temple’s sanctuary, it was the temple’s high priest who was the only human being to access to the sanctuary and to meet the cult statue’ personal needs.

Votive statues were those given to temples and shrines by kings, courtiers, scribes, priests,etc.

The most famous example of a guardian divine figure is the Sphinx at Giza.

* Statuette of Amun:

The statue measures about 58 cm. high, it is made of schist and was found in the court of the cachette at Karnak. It dates back to the end of the 18^th Dynasty.

Amun (Imn) means The Hidden One, his sacred animals were the ram and the goose. Many statues show him in his human aspect.

This is one of his human representations, he originally had on his head his two high feathers (Swty) which have now disappeared, he is also represented with a divine beard and a pleated kilt. He is also wearing a wide collar and bracelets.

Since Amun was related to the sky, this explains the presence of the two feathers upon his head, as well as the blue colour of his body.

Initially he was a local god at Thebes and was also one of the Ogdoad of El-Ashmunein.

He became the supreme god of Egypt during the 12^th Dynasty and  the new kingdom.