Statue of King Mentuhotep II in Osiride Form
This remarkable statue of king Mentuhotep II, carved from painted sandstone, marks a pivotal moment in the rebirth of Ancient Egyptian art during the dawn of the Middle Kingdom. Seated in serene majesty, the king dons the red Deshret crown of Lower Egypt, the short white heb-sed (jubilee) robe, and the ceremonial Osirian beard; all potent symbols of royal authority and renewal.
Most striking is the king’s skin, painted deep black, a deliberate and sacred choice. In Ancient Egyptian symbolism, black was not a colour of death, but of rebirth: the rich, fertile silt left by the Nile’s inundation, from which all life emerged each spring. Osiris, god of the afterlife and eternal renewal, was often depicted with black or green skin, representing this cycle of death and resurrection. Here, Mentuhotep is portrayed in Osiride form, with arms crossed tightly upon his chest in the classic posture of the god, signifying his own divine transformation and eternal kingship.
Mentuhotep II was the founder of the Middle Kingdom (c. 2050–1710 B.C.), having restored unity to Egypt after a long era of fragmentation and unrest that followed the Old Kingdom. His portrayal in this statue, with robust limbs and firmly planted feet, conveys strength, vitality, and the permanence of his rule. No trace of human frailty or imperfection is allowed to intrude upon this divine likeness.
The statue’s rediscovery in 1900 was entirely serendipitous. While riding across the forecourt of Mentuhotep’s mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahari, a young Howard Carter found his horse stumbling over a concealed stone slab. Upon closer inspection, this proved to be the entrance to a hidden shaft. Excavation revealed a small chamber in which the statue had lain for millennia, carefully wrapped in linen, accompanied by other ritual objects, quietly awaiting its return to the light.
Summary:
Painted sandstone Osiride statue of Mentuhotep III
Middle Kingdom, 11th Dynasty, reign of Mentuhotep II, c. 2061-2010 B.C.
From the Mortuary Temple of Mentuhotep II at Deir el-Bahari, West Thebes.
Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo. JE 36195
