Educators Online - Slide Notes
- Artwork Info
The royal figures are imposing in their simplicity; the statue originally would have been painted, adding some details of dress and ornament. The couple’s serene expressions and confident stance communicate the dignity and divinity that both the pharaoh and the sculptor would have wished to convey. The queen’s caressing gesture simultaneously presents her husband, who is both king and god, and suggests a sense of companionship.
Consider the faces of the pharaoh and his wife. How would you characterize each one? What elements are idealized, which might reflect their actual appearance? What does the statue tell us about how this couple wanted to live on in the afterlife?
The poses and conventions established in such early royal sculpture would continue to be used throughout Egyptian art. Looks for these conventions as you compare this statue with others of husbands and wives in the same gallery when you visit the Museum.
King Menkaure (Mycerinus) and queen
2490–2472 B.C.
Overall: 142.2 x 57.1 x 55.2 cm, 676.8 kg (56 x 22 1/2 x 21 3/4 in., 1492.1 lb.)
Block (Wooden skirts and two top): 53.3 x 180 x 179.7 cm (21 x 70 7/8 x 70 3/4 in.)
Graywacke
Classification: Sculpture
Egyptian
Old Kingdom, Dynasty 4, reign of Menkaure
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Harvard University—Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition
Accession number: 11.1738
On view: Gardiner Martin Lane Gallery (Egyptian Old Kingdom Gallery)
At twilight on January 10, 1910, a young boy beckoned George Reisner to the Menkaure Valley Temple. There, emerging from a robbers' pit into which they had been discarded were the tops of two heads, perfectly preserved and nearly life-size. This was the modern world's first glimpse of one of humankind's artistic masterworks, the statue of Menkaure and queen. The two figures stand side-by-side, gazing into eternity. He represents the epitome of kingship and the ideal human male form. She is the ideal female. He wears the nemes on his head, a long artificial beard, and a wraparound kilt with central tab, all of which identify him as king. In his hand he clasps what may be abbreviated forms of the symbols of his office. His high cheekbones, bulbous nose, slight furrows running diagonally from his nose to the corners of his mouth, and lower lip thrust out in a slight pout, may be seen on her as well, although her face has a feminine fleshiness, which his lacks. Traces of red paint remain on his face and black paint on her wig. His broad shoulders, taut torso, and muscular arms and legs, all modeled with subtlety and restraint, convey a latent strength. In contrast, her narrow shoulders and slim body, whose contours are apparent under her tight-fitting sheath dress, represent the Egyptian ideal of femininity. As is standard for sculptures of Egyptian men, his left foot is advanced, although all his weight remains on the right foot. Typically, Egyptian females are shown with both feet together, but here, the left foot is shown slightly forward. Although they stand together sharing a common base and back slab, and she embraces him, they remain aloof and share no emotion, either with the viewer or each other. Who is represented here? The base of the statue which is usually inscribed with the names and titles of the subject represented, was left unfinished and never received the final polish of most of the rest of the statue. Because it was found in Menkaure's Valley Temple and because it resembles other statues from the same findspot bearing his name, there is no doubt that the male figure is King Menkaure. Reisner suggested that the woman was Queen Kamerernebty II, the only of Menkaure's queens known by name. She, however, had only a mastaba tomb, while two unidentified queens of Menkaure had small pyramids. Others have suggested that she represents the goddess Hathor, although she exhibits no divine attributes. Because later kings are often shown with their mothers, still other scholars have suggested that the woman by Menkaure's side may be his mother. However, in private sculptures when a man and woman are shown together and their relationship is indicated, they are most often husband and wife. Because private sculpture is modeled after royal examples, this suggests that she is indeed one of Menkaure's queens, but ultimately, the name of the woman represented in this splendid sculpture may never be known.