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Pair Statue of Nebsen and Nebet-ta. Egypt,
possibly from Dahamsha. New Kingdom, Dynasty 18,
early in the reign of Amunhotep III, circa 1400–1352
B.C.E.Limestone, painted, 15 3/4 x 8 9/16 x 9 1/4 in
Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 40.523
I would to share this lovely pair statue of Nebsen and Nebet-ta. This artwork is different than other artworks of ancient Egypt. Generally, king statues of ancient Egypt were very serious and dignfied, but look at this lovely couple! They put their arm around each other's waist. Looks like they love and respect each other. I have never seen this kind(seems equally respectable) of statue in my ancient culture. That is why I choose this art piece. Also, this statue was actually rebuilt by their son when the son became successful because something happened to the original statue. Egyptians thought the statue was a rest place for a soul. Interesting! Alright! Let's look at this in detail.
Richard Fazzini: This statue of Nebsen and Nebet-ta is a wonderful pair statue of a couple. He was a scribe of the royal treasury, and she was a songstress of the goddess Isis, which means she had a clerical function in the temple to the goddess Isis. These people lived in the earlier part of the 18th Dynasty. But their statue was actually made a couple of reigns later, and so their appearance is very different from what they would have had in life. They have fancier headdresses, fancier necklaces, and much more elegant eyes and fancy eyeliner, all of which was coming into Egyptian art in the 18th Dynasty, as the empire got wealthier and wealthier and a little bit more sophisticated. The whole back of the statue is covered with inscriptions, and there are symbols up at the top. Those symbols are protective for the people mentioned below, Nebsen and Nebet-ta. Such statues were placed in temples, and, hopefully some of the people coming into the temple would stop and read an inscription or say a prayer on behalf of Nebsen and Nebet-ta. And that as certainly why their son dedicated the statue. So it was a way to help keep his parents alive forever—as well as bringing them a little bit more up to date in their makeup and costume.
- Medium: Limestone, painted
- Possible Place Collected: Dahamsha, Esypt
- Dates: ca. 1400-1352 B.C.E.
- Dynasty: XVIII Dynasty
- Period: New Kingdom
- Dimensions: 15 7/8 x 8 9/16 x 9 1/4 in.(40.4 x 21.8 x 23.5cm)
- Collections: Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art
If they were supposed to transport food form the living world to the dead, why didn't they make the statues holding food, or something in that manner, rather than sitting down? I wonder how different the new statue is from the original. I also wonder what happened to the original statue, why would a grave robber want to steal a statue?
ReplyDeleteI love how the statue shows some emotion, which is usually lacking in Egyptian art. It might be an early sign that elements of the Amarna style was creeping in though, since the 18th Dynasty was also the dynasty of Akhenaten. In fact, I think Amenhotep III was Akhenaten's father, so maybe his son adopted a few ideas from pieces like this.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this comes later in time, I'd say the technical quality of the work is actually less than some earlier pieces we've seen. Perhaps this is because they are not royalty that they do not have the finest art, or did some of the technical skill get lost from earlier times?
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful find! It is not as relaxed as some of the commoner statues we have viewed but it is also not in royal pose. I find this quite beautiful and a good balance since he has the high position of a scribe and she a priestess. It is amazing that this piece (though reproduced) has lasted since limestone is such a soft crumbly stone.
ReplyDeleteI can clearly see that the sculptures used very detailed Egyptian symbols such as the Wedjat (eye of Horus) and the Falcon (the God Horus). There are a few scepters in the mix as well. They are seen many times throughout this enormous piece of art but there are many different other symbols here, which are hard to see. This fits this particular time period.
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