The statue of King Menkaura (Mycerinus) and Queen (fig. 1) is not only a work of artistic mastery, but also contains a very deep background and history behind the statue itself as well as its discovery and placement into the Boston Museum of Fine Arts (MFA). In the early to mid 1900’s, an archaeologist by the name of George Andrew Reisner directed an expedition sponsored by Harvard University and the MFA in the Old Kingdom site of Giza. It is thanks to his scrupulous documentation through early photography and detailed notes while excavating the Menkaura pyramid complex that we have not only original objects, but an archive of information regarding these objects. The statue was revealed in a robbers’ pit at the Menkaura Valley Temple, and
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Left behind in the robbers’ pit was another beautiful carving of Menkaura, this time with the goddess Hathor, seated in the center, and the Hare Nome. This statue, although smaller in height, was also found in nearly perfect condition and carved into beautiful Greywacke. Other objects found in this area were numerous unfinished seated statuettes of Menkaura, vessels such as bowls and jars, as well as a few carved heads of the King. Many items, like most objects from ancient times, were damaged and found in pieces; which makes the discovery of the King and Queen statue so much more amazing especially when taking their size into …show more content…
Small elements such as the statues positioning, the pigment they were colored in, as well as their size were all taken into account when this master work was originally carved. In royal standing statues, the “striding pose” was frequently used in funerary sculptures. This pose was “alluding to the ability of the deceased to come and go between this world and the netherworld”. The striding pose can also be a reference expressing a potential action, such as the “the deceased king or private person coming forth to receive offerings”. Both explanations by Wilkinson could very well be the reason the sculptor chose this pose for a statue in the Valley Temple of Menkaura. The Greywacke used in carving the sculpture is of similar appearance to a reoccuring stone in Ancient Egypt work known as Basalt. Although the meaning of the Greywacke is not entirely known, Basalt was used in statues and other smaller objects, and the black coloration of basalt created a natural correlation to the underworld. This analysis of pose, material, and reasoning behind the statue of Menkaura and wife have been looked into in great detail throughout history, and the debate still continues on who the woman beside Menkaura may be due to the lack of
Left behind in the robbers’ pit was another beautiful carving of Menkaura, this time with the goddess Hathor, seated in the center, and the Hare Nome. This statue, although smaller in height, was also found in nearly perfect condition and carved into beautiful Greywacke. Other objects found in this area were numerous unfinished seated statuettes of Menkaura, vessels such as bowls and jars, as well as a few carved heads of the King. Many items, like most objects from ancient times, were damaged and found in pieces; which makes the discovery of the King and Queen statue so much more amazing especially when taking their size into …show more content…
Small elements such as the statues positioning, the pigment they were colored in, as well as their size were all taken into account when this master work was originally carved. In royal standing statues, the “striding pose” was frequently used in funerary sculptures. This pose was “alluding to the ability of the deceased to come and go between this world and the netherworld”. The striding pose can also be a reference expressing a potential action, such as the “the deceased king or private person coming forth to receive offerings”. Both explanations by Wilkinson could very well be the reason the sculptor chose this pose for a statue in the Valley Temple of Menkaura. The Greywacke used in carving the sculpture is of similar appearance to a reoccuring stone in Ancient Egypt work known as Basalt. Although the meaning of the Greywacke is not entirely known, Basalt was used in statues and other smaller objects, and the black coloration of basalt created a natural correlation to the underworld. This analysis of pose, material, and reasoning behind the statue of Menkaura and wife have been looked into in great detail throughout history, and the debate still continues on who the woman beside Menkaura may be due to the lack of