Senwosret III portrait
by Nigel Fletcher-Jones
Title
Senwosret III portrait
Artist
Nigel Fletcher-Jones
Medium
Photograph - Photograph - Digital Art
Description
Statues of the Middle Kingdom ruler Senusret III (reigned 1874-1855 BC) often exhibit the most extraordinary features.
The face belongs to a careworn man with heavy eyelids, pinched face, and sagging mouth—all suggestive of the weight a king must carry acting as an intermediary between the needful people and the demanding gods of ancient Egypt.
Yet the king's shoulders and torso are those of a young man with well-developed musculature. This clearly demonstrates that he will ultimately be up to the task.
This particular statue was found at the memorial temple of Montuhotep II (2055-2004 BC) which is next to the better-known memorial temple of the later female king Hatshepsut (1473-1458 BC) on the west bank of the Nile opposite modern Luxor.
Such was the magical power that such statues were thought to possess that they were often ritually 'killed' by mutilation as is probably the case here.
Uploaded
September 23rd, 2023
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