Senenmut

myminifactory

Occasionally a bold artist transformed a traditional sculptural form. This statue of Senenmut—a leading figure during the joint reign of Queen Hatshepsut and King Thutmose III—displays the classic kneeling pose that has been known since the Fourth Dynasty (circa 2625–2500 B.C.E.). Ancient and Middle Kingdom kneeling statues typically show a subject with his hands resting on his thighs or holding two small round vessels. The artist of this piece, however, depicted Senenmut presenting a complex object: a cobra resting in a pair of upraised arms, wearing cow horns with a sun-disk. Egyptologists interpret this image as a cryptogram of Hatshepsut’s throne name (Ma`at-ka-re). The sculptural form of a kneeling man holding an intricate symbolic image first appeared in statues of Senenmut and continued for centuries. Perhaps this new type of statue was the result of Senenmut's imagination, as interpreted by a skilled and receptive artist.