Hatshepsut Seated (ca, 1473-1458), of the first major female Pharaoh to reign Egypt, depicts her occupying the throne. The artist unspecified, she is shown a lone figure sitting in a non atypical representational manner. This style in which Hatshepsut Seated is modeled is not so unlike other works for male pharaohs, symbolic of her coronation to power. One might assume that the work represents a mere continuation to the stylistic traditions of Ancient Egyptian art. However, the de rigueur trappings of Royal sculpture represent the stasis of male domination, cultural benchmarks that are challenged not only in elements of the statue but also through Hatshepsut’s historic legacy. Hatshepsut Seated acts as a model for the quiet revolution that
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She sits atop her royal throne, engraved in hieroglyphics, sitting upright. Her body language indicates no slouching or feelings of informality; there is a heightened sense of owl like awareness showing through her pointed gaze and serene composure. Her arms are slender, sloping downwards from narrow shoulders. Her torso is curved inwards, imagistic of a softy defined waist with visible breasts. The arms and torso are interconnected, space between the areas not carved out, curtailing the ability for free motion. Hatshepsut’s legs are tall and lean, resembling a “long dancer’s” (MET). The hip, curving into her thighs are slim, not giving an exaggerated hourglass silhouette. Her feet parallel a kayak, extremely extended and skinny. In comparison, they look large for her frame, portrayed as relatively wiry in ratio to their oversized, unrealistic quality. Her face has an unmistakably feline characteristic with angular, petite lines demarcating her high cheekbones, pillowed jaw, and almond shaped eyes. Her nose is sharp yet dainty, destruction removing its bridge and tip. The Pharaoh’s headdress adorns her, coming down to cover her breasts without fully concealing their shape and protrusion. Her lips are plush, upper and bottom both equally pouty. This is a …show more content…
When he died in c1.473 she became regent for his underage son Thutmose III born to one of his concubines” (Stokstad 68). Her control had to be found through the male influenced public sphere, still experiencing the chokehold of misogyny although her prized upbringing. Despite the commonality of cross gender sibling marriages at the time, usually “to maintain the property of the family intact and to prevent the splintering of the estate through the operation of the laws of inheritance” (Middleton 610), Hatshepsut’s still came to represent a denigrated treatment as the reigns of power were not at her disposal until available to her via tragedy. Across the board, women felt the issue of self determination more than no other. “Women were at a disadvantage when it came to wealth and poverty. Very often they were reliant on their husbands and a widow was as disadvantaged as an orphan” (Graves-Brown 41). The ways in which women were reliant on their husbands and other men in their life reflects masculine domination, a theme challenged in Hatshepsut Seated. Transcending the field of domestic life, where matrilineal authority was most often found, Hatshepsut grows past her allotted bounds, becoming the most powerful “King” of Egypt while remaining a Queen. Thus, Hatshepsut Seated embodies defiance- an idea exhibited in the subtlest of ways, and
She sits atop her royal throne, engraved in hieroglyphics, sitting upright. Her body language indicates no slouching or feelings of informality; there is a heightened sense of owl like awareness showing through her pointed gaze and serene composure. Her arms are slender, sloping downwards from narrow shoulders. Her torso is curved inwards, imagistic of a softy defined waist with visible breasts. The arms and torso are interconnected, space between the areas not carved out, curtailing the ability for free motion. Hatshepsut’s legs are tall and lean, resembling a “long dancer’s” (MET). The hip, curving into her thighs are slim, not giving an exaggerated hourglass silhouette. Her feet parallel a kayak, extremely extended and skinny. In comparison, they look large for her frame, portrayed as relatively wiry in ratio to their oversized, unrealistic quality. Her face has an unmistakably feline characteristic with angular, petite lines demarcating her high cheekbones, pillowed jaw, and almond shaped eyes. Her nose is sharp yet dainty, destruction removing its bridge and tip. The Pharaoh’s headdress adorns her, coming down to cover her breasts without fully concealing their shape and protrusion. Her lips are plush, upper and bottom both equally pouty. This is a …show more content…
When he died in c1.473 she became regent for his underage son Thutmose III born to one of his concubines” (Stokstad 68). Her control had to be found through the male influenced public sphere, still experiencing the chokehold of misogyny although her prized upbringing. Despite the commonality of cross gender sibling marriages at the time, usually “to maintain the property of the family intact and to prevent the splintering of the estate through the operation of the laws of inheritance” (Middleton 610), Hatshepsut’s still came to represent a denigrated treatment as the reigns of power were not at her disposal until available to her via tragedy. Across the board, women felt the issue of self determination more than no other. “Women were at a disadvantage when it came to wealth and poverty. Very often they were reliant on their husbands and a widow was as disadvantaged as an orphan” (Graves-Brown 41). The ways in which women were reliant on their husbands and other men in their life reflects masculine domination, a theme challenged in Hatshepsut Seated. Transcending the field of domestic life, where matrilineal authority was most often found, Hatshepsut grows past her allotted bounds, becoming the most powerful “King” of Egypt while remaining a Queen. Thus, Hatshepsut Seated embodies defiance- an idea exhibited in the subtlest of ways, and