Ramesses II Votive Statue

In the long reign of Ramesses II (between 1279 and 1213 B.C.), devotion could be as grand as a temple façade or as humble as a handheld shrine. This charming fragment, now housed in The Met (90.6.1), once formed part of a larger votive statue crafted by an official of the king.

In Ancient Egypt, an official was a trusted administrator, a man of the bureaucracy who managed land, labour, accounts, or temple affairs. Not quite noble, not quite common, he belonged to that vital class of literate stewards who kept the vast machinery of Egypt running. Such men often expressed their loyalty and piety through offerings of stone, standing as intermediaries between throne and temple.

Here once, the official would have been shown kneeling in reverence, presenting a tiny shrine crowned with the ram-headed Amun of Thebes. Now, only his hands remain, yet still present is a miniature figure of Ramesses II himself, carved with courtly elegance and still full of fragments of technicolour glory. Here he is, a king within a shrine, offered by the very hands (now fragmentary) of the man who sought the god Amun’s blessing. To honour the king is to honour the god, and to offer the king is a way of placing oneself under divine protection, since the king was seen as Amun’s chosen earthly son.

The surviving piece preserves the upper portion of the shrine, decorated in raised relief with the name and epithets of Ramesses II, including the poetic phrase “beloved of Amun who favours the West.” This epithet is well attested at Deir el-Medina, hinting that the statue once stood in that intimate community of royal artisans, surrounded by incense, soft prayers, and the dust of chisels.

The statue was votive, meaning, a devotional gift left within a temple so that the donor, whether present or not, might “stand before the god” for eternity. A man of Deir el-Medina could gently touch the cool stone at dawn, quietly entrusting his hopes to the tiny king enthroned upon the shrine: health for his family, success in his work, or favourable judgement from Amun’s ever-watchful gaze.

And so, this modest fragment is more than carved limestone. It is a whisper of loyalty, a petition to the divine, and a tender glimpse into the private spiritual world of those who served both Pharaoh and god.

A votive piece like this, would have most certainly have been placed within a temple chapel or shrine, and not a private home. The imagery of a king upon a divine shrine, with inscriptions proclaiming Ramesses II beloved of Amun would have been far too formal and sacred for domestic display. Home shrines were usually simple, intimate things; perhaps a small stelae, figures and images of household deities, fertility figures, or ancestral busts.

Considering this shrine depicts Ramesses II and its inscription and style connect it to Deir el-Medina, it would likely have been seen in either the small temples at Deir el-Medina (e.g. the Hathor shrine or the Ramesses II temple), a side-chapel or niche within a larger temple complex or perhaps personal chapel within the workers’ village, dedicated to Amun, Ptah, Meretseger, or other local deities.

And so, in short, Egyptians did have private domestic shrines, but a carved votive group showing a king and a divine symbol is far more formal than what one would keep in a home. This is a public, devotional object meant to “stand” perpetually in the presence of a god.

Would offerings have been left beside a votive shrine such as this? Quite possibly, though in an indirect way. Any offerings placed nearby were meant for the god who presided over the chapel, not for the statue itself. Yet in many temple chapels, votive statues existed in a landscape rich with devotion: flowers, incense, bread, and little libations left before the deity. These offerings were understood to be shared symbolically by all who dwelt within the sacred space, including devotional statues such as this one. Thus, although the gifts were not intended for the statue, it nonetheless lived within a fragrant, offering-filled world where acts of piety were frequent and continuous.

A statue like this functioned as a prayer in permanent form, as a spiritual placeholder for the donor. Its purposes included perpetual worship (even when the official was busy or away, the statue “continued” to offer reverence to Amun on his behalf), securing favour and protection (by presenting the king before Amun, the donor aligned himself with divine and royal authority; a powerful combination). While securing favour and offering reverence, the official may hope for health, prosperity, protection at work (especially relevant at Deir el-Medina, where quarrying and tomb-building were dangerous), blessings for his family and of course, a good place in the afterlife. Considering, most Egyptians could not enter the inner sanctuaries, a statue like this allowed an eternal presence within sacred space, close to Amun’s divine presence, and was a way to participate in temple ritual.

Also, a votive statue, such as this, would also be a great public display of loyalty, showing the donor’s piety and faithfulness to the king, which could help his social standing within the community.

Carved from fine limestone and still touched with traces of its original pigments, the piece retains a surprising brightness even after more than three millennia. The crisp raised relief, the careful modelling of the miniature king, and the surviving patches of red, black, and ochre speak to the steady hands of craftsmen who understood both devotion and detail. Though modest in scale at 58 cm high, its presence is unmistakably dignified.

This votive was later acquired in Egypt by Dr James Douglas of Quebec City between 1851 and 1865, and was generously donated to The Met (90.6.1) by his son, James S. Douglas, in 1890.

Summary:

Figure of a King Proffered by an Official of Ramesses II

New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty, 1279–1213 B.C.

From Thebes, probably Deir el-Medina

Met Museum. 90.6.1