Prince Khuenra
Height x width x depth: 30.5 x 21.5 x 16 cm (12 x 8 7/16 x 6 5/16 in.)
MFA Boston. 13.3140
Khuenre (Khuenra) was a fourth-dynasty Egyptian prince. He was the son of king Menkaure and his sister, Queen Khamerernebty II. He was the grandson of Khafre and Khamerernebty I, and the great-grandfather of Khufu, the monarch who erected the Great Pyramid of Giza. Furthermore, he worked as a secretary and held the title, “sole companion of his father”.
Khuenre was his parents’ eldest son, although it was Shepseskaf who succeeded the throne and not him. Khuenre was buried at Menkaure’s cemetery (MQ 1). He is portrayed as a small boy standing in front of his seated mother on the south wall.
The sculpture is un-inscribed, but its discovery inside the rock-cut tomb of Khuenra, King Menkaure’s son, suggests it belongs to that prince. This stance appears to have been designated for kings’ sons, particularly those holding prominent jobs, during the Fourth Dynasty, which began with Khufu. Some, like Khuenra, place their left hands flat on their laps while holding folded handkerchiefs in their right hands.
Typically, these “Scribe Statues” represent a man with unrolled papyri stretched onto their laps and drawn taut between their knees, while placing their right hands to hold a writing utensil, indicating that these individuals were definitely being depicted as scribes. This identification has led academics to refer to all sculptures in this location as scribal statues, while it is unclear if their owners, including Khuenre, were genuinely scribes. It is estimated that less than 1% of the Old Kingdom’s population was literate. To be depicted in the Scribe pose was therefore a sign of status in society.
The statue itself is made from buffed limestone and would have originally been painted, traces of black pigment still remain upon the wig.
Summary:
Prince Khuenra as a Scribe
Old Kingdom, Dynasty 4, reign of Menkaura, c. 2490–2472 B.C.F
From Giza, Menkaura Cemetery, MQ 1
MFA Boston. 13.3140
