Egyptian Old Kingdom. Khafre Ka Sculpture. 2570-2544 BCE
Khafre rigidly sits in his royal throne, gazing off into the distance. The pharaoh wears a linen nemes headdress, which cover most of his forehead and folds over his broad shoulders. This royal headdress depicts the uraeus, or cobra emblem, on the front along with the royal false beard attached at the end of his chiseled chin, all symbols which exemplify his royalty and divinity. Khafre wears a kilt covering his waist, revealing his idealized upper body and muscle definition. This depiction is not a portrait, but a symbol of Khafre’s power through using the artistic conventions of Egypt—a flawless body, perfectly un-aged face, and ideal body proportions. The Egyptian idealized portraiture is not meant to record individualized features, but instead proclaim the divine nature of Egyptian kingship. Two stylized lions’ bodies form the throne Khafre sits on, creating a sturdy base. Lotus plants (symbolic of Upper Egypt) and papyrus plants (symbolic of Lower Egypt) grow between the legs of the throne, referring to the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt which ended the Egyptian Pre-Dynastic period. Horus, the god of Lower Egypt depicted as a falcon, protects the backside of Khafre’s head with his wings, another reference to the united Egypt.
The symmetrical pharaoh shows no movement or change, suppressing all motion and time to create an eternal stillness; his strong build and permanent stance demonstrate no notion of time—Khafre is timeless, and his power will exist even in the afterlife. The pharaoh has an emotionless and ageless face, alluding to his non-chaotic, controlled empire and powerful leadership; the pharaoh has control over his domain. The statue is based upon compactness and solidity with few projecting parts; Khafre’s block-like body is attached to the throne to last for eternity, creating one single structure. His arms rest on his thighs, directly facing the viewer in a rigid, frontal pose. The bilaterally symmetric statue, symbolizing order and control in the pharaoh, is the same on either side of the vertical axis of the statue, only differing in Khafre’s clenched right fist. The tight profile and block-like aspect represent Khafre as a permanent being and part of the stone to keep his ka safe (because the ka will have the statue as a permanent body to return to each night to resuscitate itself. Khafre will always exist, on earth and in the afterlife. The pharaoh’s sculpture can be described as absolutely frontal, utterly immobile, and perfectly calm: the characteristics of Egyptian block statue.
The Ancient Egyptians believed that human existence consisted of five different aspects (called Kheperu) which would disperse after physical death unless certain after-death provisions were made to keep them together. These five aspects were:
1) The SHEUT, your shadow, (your interconnectedness to everything else in the cosmos, whether you are aware of it or not).
2) The KA (your particular life-force, vital essence, or spirit, which Heket breathes into your body at birth).
3) The BA Your natural personality, as expressed in your actions, speech, appearance, etc., which is the way others experience you.
4) The REN which is your name (your socially-dependent sense of identity and existence).
5) The IB, which is your own conscious mind (emotion, intellect, and will), centered on the physical organ of the heart.
Egyptian Old Kingdom. Khafre Ka Sculpture. 2570-2544 BCE
Khafre rigidly sits in his royal throne, gazing off into the distance. The pharaoh wears a linen nemes headdress, which cover most of his forehead and folds over his broad shoulders. This royal headdress depicts the uraeus, or cobra emblem, on the front along with the royal false beard attached at the end of his chiseled chin, all symbols which exemplify his royalty and divinity. Khafre wears a kilt covering his waist, revealing his idealized upper body and muscle definition. This depiction is not a portrait, but a symbol of Khafre’s power through using the artistic conventions of Egypt—a flawless body, perfectly un-aged face, and ideal body proportions. The Egyptian idealized portraiture is not meant to record individualized features, but instead proclaim the divine nature of Egyptian kingship. Two stylized lions’ bodies form the throne Khafre sits on, creating a sturdy base. Lotus plants (symbolic of Upper Egypt) and papyrus plants (symbolic of Lower Egypt) grow between the legs of the throne, referring to the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt which ended the Egyptian Pre-Dynastic period. Horus, the god of Lower Egypt depicted as a falcon, protects the backside of Khafre’s head with his wings, another reference to the united Egypt.
The symmetrical pharaoh shows no movement or change, suppressing all motion and time to create an eternal stillness; his strong build and permanent stance demonstrate no notion of time—Khafre is timeless, and his power will exist even in the afterlife. The pharaoh has an emotionless and ageless face, alluding to his non-chaotic, controlled empire and powerful leadership; the pharaoh has control over his domain. The statue is based upon compactness and solidity with few projecting parts; Khafre’s block-like body is attached to the throne to last for eternity, creating one single structure. His arms rest on his thighs, directly facing the viewer in a rigid, frontal pose. The bilaterally symmetric statue, symbolizing order and control in the pharaoh, is the same on either side of the vertical axis of the statue, only differing in Khafre’s clenched right fist. The tight profile and block-like aspect represent Khafre as a permanent being and part of the stone to keep his ka safe (because the ka will have the statue as a permanent body to return to each night to resuscitate itself. Khafre will always exist, on earth and in the afterlife. The pharaoh’s sculpture can be described as absolutely frontal, utterly immobile, and perfectly calm: the characteristics of Egyptian block statue.
The Ancient Egyptians believed that human existence consisted of five different aspects (called Kheperu) which would disperse after physical death unless certain after-death provisions were made to keep them together. These five aspects were:
1) The SHEUT, your shadow, (your interconnectedness to everything else in the cosmos, whether you are aware of it or not).
2) The KA (your particular life-force, vital essence, or spirit, which Heket breathes into your body at birth).
3) The BA Your natural personality, as expressed in your actions, speech, appearance, etc., which is the way others experience you.
4) The REN which is your name (your socially-dependent sense of identity and existence).
5) The IB, which is your own conscious mind (emotion, intellect, and will), centered on the physical organ of the heart.