Khafre Enthroned, from Gizeh, Egypt - Essay Example

Khafre Enthroned, from Gizeh, Egypt Khafre Enthroned is an artistic funerary statue of Pharaoh Khafre. Pharaoh Khafre ruled Egypt from 2520-2570. This sculptor statue is currently in Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Several replications of this figurine nonetheless are kept in most renowned Museums worldwide. Khafre Enthroned funerary statue is made of anorthosite gneiss. Anorthosite gneiss rock is related to diorite rocks structure. This material, in addition, is extremely hard, valuable and dark in colour. It was mined 4000 miles down River Nile from royal quarries. The value estimates of the anorthosite gneiss shows its importance overly in relation to Khafre’s power and influence as a pharaoh in the ancient Egypt. This statue was curved for the purposes of Pharaoh Khafre’s remembrance. Initially, the statue was kept in the Pharaoh’s valley temple near the Great Sphinx. The statue was presented as part of necropolis funeral city used in most important funeral rituals. This research paper explains the Khafre Enthroned funerary statue, from Gizeh, Egypt. The Khafre old kingdom artistic statue was designed putting into considerations a lot of symbolism in it. Firstly, the statue had an important function in Egyptian tombs. This statue overly acts as a sub-statue abode for the Pharaoh’s Ka. Ka in Egyptian cultural beliefs is the life that accompanies the righteous persons with a kind of other self. After death, the Ka leaves the individual body and soul into the afterlife (Gardner et al. 111). The statue embodiment therefore remains contemporarily to show a peace to rest; to the dead souls. The Khafre enthroned sculpture was designed in spiral form. This statue shows his majesty Khafre seated. This was one of the famous statue designs with a basic formulaic types used in the old kingdoms to show the human figure. Art speaks and through Khafre Enthroned statue, his figure in the seat is greatly shown. This artistic work if was to go by; would easily explain the kind of a ruler king Khafre was. This Egyptian statue design was influenced by mummification in Egypt (Gardners Art through the Ages: The Western Perspective 121). Mummification played a major role in the Egyptian culture in the ancient civilization era. This process involved a 70-day purification of pharaoh’s body to ensure immortality for Pharaoh. Beginning in the third millennium BCE, mummification became impossible in Egypt. This process was hectic and cumbersome hence there was need for finding a better way to remember the Pharaoh’s of Egypt. If the Pharaoh’s mummy was damaged, a Ka statue was made to ensure permanence and immortality of the deceased identity (Gardners Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective 134). The replacement of mummification consequently through the designing of pharaoh’s statue provided for a longer memory of these important persons identities by providing a substitute dwelling place for Ka. The statue presents Khafre as rigidly sitting in his royal throne while gazing off into the distant space. He wears linen nemes headdress, which cover his overall forehead. The king’s broad shoulders as portrayed in this artwork are covered with folds. The royal headdress symbolises the uraeus or cobra emblem. On the front chin of the king’s sculpture is an attachment of royal false beard with at the end of his chisel chin. All these symbols depict the Pharaoh’s divinity and royalty (Gardner et al. 167). Khafre wears a golden kilt covering his waits, showing openly his idealised muscles and upper body definition. This depiction however is not an imaginary portrait. It is a symbol of Khafre’s power and authority presented by the use of Egyptian artistic convention. Artistic convention of Egypt in time immemorial has used a flawless body, ideal body proportions and perfectly un-aged face statue designs (Gardners Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective 137). This is one of the distinguishing characteristics between Egyptian statue artistic works to the rest of the world. The Egyptian portraiture is not meant to put on record individualised features, but instead it aims at proclaiming the divinity nature of Egyptian kingship. Two shinning stylised lion bodies’ structures form the throne Khafre sits on. This design creates a sturdy base- an evidently good viewing posture for the statue. Papyrus plants (symbolic of Lower Egypt) and lotus plants (symbolic of Upper Egypt) grow between the legs of the throne. These key designs of the statue refer to the ultimate Egyptian unification between the Lower and Upper Egypt which ended in the pre-dynasty epoch (Gardner & Richard 150). Horus, the god of Lower Egypt is also captured in the statue. This god is designed within the Khafre enthroned statue on the backside of the Pharaoh’s heads with wings. Additionally, this god depicts another unity symbol of Egyptian kingdom. Besides the striving falcon view, unseen from the front general view is resting position of Khafre’s head. Khafre’s feet are nonetheless cordially emplaced upon a flat platform (Gardner et al. 178). The king’s feet position is blended with 9-archery bows representing the power and authority dominance of the king and his kingdom over foreign domestic foe tribes. Nine bows was the cultural reference of the Egyptian foreign domestic enemy tribes. The symmetrical Khafre statue show no motion or change at all. This brings the notion of suppression of all motion and time to create an eternal tranquillity (Gardners Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective 190). The Egyptian pharaohs over time were believed to be immortals hence accorded immortality respect by their subjects. The strong construction and permanent stance of Khafre statue demonstrates absolutely no notion of time. Khafre is timeless and his power excisions over Egyptians will last eternally even after his death. In conclusion, the Pharaoh’s statue portrays an ageless and emotionless face. This is an illusion of his non-chaotic leadership skills and powerful leadership. The pharaoh had an immense control and support over his domain. The Khafre’s statue is built upon solidity and compactness with a few parts projecting for a ground general view. For example, Khafre’s body is attached to the cathedra to last for eternity. This creates a well-designed single structure statue. Khafre’s arms leniently rest on his thighs directly facing the viewers in a frontal rigid posture. The bilateral nature of this statue’s design is a symbolism of order and control during Pharaoh’s era. The bilateral symmetry in this statue is on the vertical axis divergent in Khafre’s clenched well-painted right fist. Works Cited Gardner, Helen, and Fred S. Kleiner. Gardners Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective. Boston, Mass.: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010. Print. Gardner, Helen, and Fred S. Kleiner. Gardners Art Through the Ages: A Concise Western History. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2014. Print. Gardner, Helen, Richard G. Tansey, and Fred S. Kleiner. Gardners Art Through the Ages. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1996. Print. Read More