Introduction
The “Seated Statue of Khafre” represents the old Egyptian Kingdom, 2575-2525 BC, best known for the Sphinx and the three Great Giza Pyramids. The statue depicts the fourth dynasty and is one of the most iconic and significant surviving sculptures that ancient Egypt offers. The statue’s function transcends the Egyptian tombs; it serves as an alternate abode for the Pharaoh’s ka by portraying the other-self, a life force that convoyed a person after death. Based on Egyptian belief, the ka left the body after death into the afterlife yet needed a resting place, as symbolized by the statue. The Statue of Khafre displays tranquility, curved out of diorite, and is unique compared to its counterparts.
Main Discussion
The sculptor accomplishes tranquility in the enthroned Pharaoh by carving the statue in solidity and compactness. Moreover, the artist realizes calmness by projecting a few parts with no negative space. Khafre is connected to the throne through the statue while his legs remain attached to his chair. His arms, torso, thighs, and legs are kept together by placing the arms on his legs while seated. The artist achieves bilateral symmetry in the entire figure and suppresses every movement, which brings out the idea of time through eternal stillness.
Khafre enthroned was sculpted from diorite, a rare and costly stone at the time. The stone was burdensome and had distinct white ripple inclusions in its green appearance, making it technically challenging to carve. Found in the remote regions of the Neo-Sumerians, Nubia, at least 1200 kilometers from its destination in Egypt, it indicates an increased trade level that brought the stone to Khafre’s Temple Valley at Giza. Khafre personally sought after the material, which was meant to project an economic reach aura, Egypt’s power over its neighbors, and access to luxury materials. Due to the difficulty associated with its carving, the statue shows Khafre’s reign not only marked manufacturing peak ability but the technical prowess that incorporated naturalism and idealism through different materials. The statue is a continuous royal image influence for the remainder of the old Kingdom.
Compared to its counterparts, Khafre enthroned is a unique statue, primarily based on how it portrays the connection between divinity and the Pharaoh. Large red-granite pillars separated the statue from the main access route and were placed against the valley temple wall. At first glance, the viewer encounters the statue’s angle, which offers an exposing and a profile view of the god Horus at the center of his hold of the Pharaoh’s head. As the viewer approaches the statue head-on, the Horus becomes wholly obscured behind the Pharaoh’s names headdress due to the slightly reversed angle in its head. The sculpture intentionally expresses the optical illusion based on Pharaoh’s nature, which is protected and surrounded by the gods, but in some way, Khafre is a god. The blurred lines become the Pharaoh’s one in the person.
Conclusion
The old Egyptian kingdom representation in Khafre enthroned achieves three artistic expressions. Through serenity, the artist carves the statue with firmness and density to present a proportional figure that brings out the time notion. The diorite pebble used in the model signifies Egypt’s financial dominion in the region, incorporates realism and idealism, and remains a constant royal image throughout Egypt’s history. The exceptionality of the figure not only links the Pharaoh to spirituality but also shows him as a deity.