While visiting the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and
Anthropology, I found numerous works of art that interested me. I was able to
appreciate these works more than before because of the knowledge I now possess
after having taken this class thus far. Understanding the background, time
periods, and history of the works that I was practically analyzing at the
museum, made the pieces even more interesting and valuable to behold. The piece
of work that captured my eyes the most was the statue of Ramesses II (?).
This statue was found at the Heracleopolis, Temple of Harsaphes, in Egypt.
This sculpture was made somewhere between 1897 and 1834, during Egypt’s Middle
Kingdom. The artist was probably an ancient Egyptian who was patroned by the
Pharaoh Ramesses II himself. According to the museum’s description of the work,
Ramesses II seized this sculpture from a former ruler and the head was replaced
to fit Ramesses’ satisfaction. This is a historical piece to preserve his power
and immortality.
This statue is an example of freestanding sculpture or sculpture in the
round. It has been carved and chiseled out of Quartzite stone. This particular
stone is composed mainly or entirely of quartz. “The stone is compact and is a
form of metamorphosed sandstone in which silica, or quartz, has been deposited
between the grains of quartz of which the sandstone is essentially composed”.
Quartzite has a smooth fracture and is found primarily among ancient rocks.
The subject and iconography of the work is to emphasize the success, reign
and power of Ramesses II. According to the museum’s description, the sculpture
also functioned as a place for the non-priests of the community to place votive
offerings for the gods of the temple. The non-priests were not allowed in the
temples hence the sculpture must have been near the entrance of the temple.
There is a slab in front of the pharaoh’s feet where offerings would have been
placed.
The statue is rather large and stands approximately 10 feet high and 5 feet
wide. The mass of the sculpture is almost overpowering to the observer. Egyptian
art is known to be very compact, and this characteristic is evident in the
statue of Ramesses II. The sculpture stays within the frame of the stone,
nothing in this piece protrudes outside of its frame.
The pose of the Pharaoh is consistent with Ancient Egyptian art as well. The
Pharaoh is seated with his hands placed on his upper legs. His arms are close to
his body at both sides, and his legs are close together and connected to the
throne he sits upon. He sits upright in a tranquil manner reflecting power and
kingship as well. His body is bilaterally symmetrical while his pose is
frontal and his movement is suppressed. Ramesses II wears a headdress and a
fake detachable beard (which is missing) to denote his rank.
This visual evidence, (hairstyles, clothes, objects), is common in Ancient
Egyptian art to symbolize the status of the figure. When the pharaoh is
portrayed, he usually has an elaborate headdress, is larger in scale than other
figures around him, wears an elaborate patterned kilt, and is in perfectly fit
form. The Ancient Egyptians idealized the body of the pharaoh and were not
realistic when it came to portraying the actual facial characteristics of the
pharaoh. Although the statue is not being compared to other figures in the work,
one can tell by its stance, dress, and mass that the figure is important.
Another characteristic of this sculpture is the bull’s tail on the back of his
kilt, which is visible hanging between his legs.
