RAFAEL BARAGAÑO

Old Kingdom (2649-2134 BC). Sculptors in ancient Egypt worked according to a set of rules, which they learned and followed faithfully. Statues represented individuals in a series of different poses – striding, squatting, sitting, alone or in groups. Elements such as skin tone, size or the activities the figures were undertaking were also determined by fixed conventions. A key feature of this sculpture is its inexpressiveness, reflecting an appropriate distance and solemnity for funerary iconography. The respect for the traditional style of representation reinforced the idea of an individual belonging to a collective. There was room, however, for personal additions, which offer further information on both the statue’s original owners and the artists who crafted them.

The Egyptian title for scribe is ‘sesh’. Scribes recorded the stocks of foods, court proceedings, wills and other legal documents, tax records, and all of the things that happened in everyday life. Scribes were near the top of the social pyramid. This statue shows an unknown scribe in the traditional position in ancient Egyptian art – seated in a cross-legged pose, with a papyrus scroll over his knees. The right hand was intended to grip a stylus or reed and is balanced over the open papyrus in the act of writing. This iconic statue is represented on the 200 LE note. 5th Dynasty, about 2465-2323 BC, Saqqara, limestone, pigment.

First 2 top images: Statue of Niankhre, inspector of physicians of the Great House. The man is sculpted as a sitting figure, similar to that of the scribe, but asymmetrical, as if the sculptor had tried to catch the actual movement of sitting down. The inscription on the plinth identifies the figure as the ‘inspector of physicians of the Great House, Niankhre’. 5th Dynasty, about 2465-2323 BC, Giza, limestone, pigment.

First 2 left to right statues: Standing statue of Khnumhotep. In the Old Kingdom people with dwarfism often held important titles and possessed a high social status. Khnumhotep was the priest and overseer of the royal wardrobe, and ka-servant. His name and titles are inscribed on the base of the statue. 5th Dynasty, about 2465-2323 BC, Saqqara, limestone, pigment.

Last 2 left to right statues: Group statue of Seneb and his family in a naos shrine Seneb was an Egyptian with dwarfism who attained a high position in the royal court. He was a priest in the funerary cults of Kings Khufu and Djedefre of the 4th Dynasty. He was also chief of all the palace dwarfs charged with the care of the royal wardrobe. His affectionate wife was priestess of Hathor and Neith. While the couple is portrayed in a realistic way, the two children, standing in front of Seneb, are depicted as archetypes. They are shown in the typical pose of children in ancient Egypt, naked, with the index finger held to their mouth, and with the side lock of childhood. This group statue was found inside a small limestone naos shrine. 4th-5th Dynasty, about 2575-2323 BC, Giza (tomb of Seneb), limestone, pigment.

Two Right Dark Statues: Statue of Perniankh, King’s acquaintance, of the Great Palace. The statue of the ‘one who delights his lord every day, the king’s dwarf Perniankh of the Great Palace’ was discovered in 1990 inside a serdab (hidden tomb chamber) to the north of the tomb of the famous courtier Seneb, who also had dwarfism. The sculptor devoted his efforts to execute a living example of the traditional rules of design combined with a richness of details. 4th Dynasty, about 2575-2465 BC, Giza, black basalt.

Last Center: Block Statue of Hetep. Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12, reign of Amenemhat I, ca. 1981 1952 BC Limestone. From Saqqara, Teti Pyramid Cemetery, tomb of Hetep. Excavated by C. Firth for the Egyptian Antiquities Service in 1921. Hetep was Inspector of Priests of the Pyramid of Teti during the reign of Amenerthat I, when the cult of Teti, who had ruled several centuries earlier, was renewed. This figure is in the form of a block with the head, arms, and legs protruding from the stone. This type of representation first appeared during the Middle Kingdom. It quickly became popular, as it provided additional surfaces on which texts could be inscribed.

Last Right: Statue of a kneeling king (?). Found as one of a pair, only this statue could be excavated. Some scholars have suggested that it might represent an elite person or a priest because the figure is kneeling. The two statues were probably once placed in a temple. Dynasty 0 (King Scorpion or Narmer), about 2940-3100 BC, Hierakonpolis, excavated by James Quibell in 1897, limestone.

Abobe Centered Block Statue: Statue of a Queen (?). This statue might represent an early queen. The back of her hair (or wig) is similar in shape to wigs made from organic paste found on many Predynastic figurines. Her name and identity remain unknown as the statue is not inscribed. Dynasty 0 (King Scorpion or Narmer), about 2940-3100 BC, Hierakonpolis, limestone.