Statuette of Amenhotep III, likely made of wood from Lebanon
At just 26.3 cm tall, this statuette of king Amenhotep III, is a treasure of the Brooklyn Museum in New York, and for obvious reason. The Brooklyn Museum’s website states that it is unsure whether the statue is made from ebony or yew wood, however, Edward Bleiberg (Curator of Egyptian, Classical, and Ancient Middle Eastern Art at the Brooklyn Museum) states that this piece is beautifully carved from Lebanese wood, Egypt’s most well-known source for wood. The statuette is completed with gold leaf detailing upon the shendyt (kilt), and crown adornments.
Amenhotep III is seen striding forth wearing the khepresh (blue crown) of war. The uraeus is sadly missing, as is the presumed pigment of the crown itself. A hook is present upon the back of the king’s neck, likely to adorn him with a necklace or other adornments. The eyes and brows are inlaid glass. It is almost secondary to notice the missing arms of the king, as what grabs you at first is the immaculate craftsmanship of what does remain.
Scans of the statuette show that the crown was actually a removable piece, and that the face of the king was also carved from a separate piece of wood.
The statue was created in celebration for the king’s Sed Festival celebrations. The Sed Festival, also known as Heb Sed or Feast of the Tail) was an ancient Egyptian ceremony that celebrated the continued rule of a pharaoh. The name is taken from the name of an Egyptian wolf god, one of whose names was Wepwawet or Sed.
The Brooklyn Museum acquired this piece from an art dealer in 1948, in their description of the piece they write: “We actually do not know much about where this statue came from. We acquired it from a dealer in 1948. At that time, it was rare for dealers to record contextual information and pass it on to museums. The relative lack of damage suggests it was in an undisturbed place from antiquity until it was collected by the dealer. Chances are it was only collected in relatively recent times (1940s) when the object’s value as an antiquity was more valuable than the gold. Otherwise, the discoverer would have scraped the gold off of it. This state of preservation is very unusual.“
This declaration from the Brooklyn Museum leads us to ponder whether the piece is authentic or whether it was a recent discovery, perhaps found in an unauthorised dig.
Amenhotep III’s reign was a period of unprecedented prosperity and splendour, when Egypt reached the peak of its artistic and international power, and as such is considered one of Ancient Egypt’s greatest pharaohs. When he died in the 38th or 39th year of his reign, he was succeeded by his son Amenhotep IV, who later changed his name to Akhenaten. (wiki)
