Ivory Statuette of Khufu

The Ivory Statuette of Khufu, or simply the Khufu Statue, is a small, carved representation of King Khufu (reigned circa 2589–2566 BCE), ruler of ancient Egypt during the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom. It is the only known three-dimensional depiction of Khufu to have survived from antiquity. The statuette is significant as both a rare image of this historically important pharaoh and as an example of Old Kingdom royal sculpture in miniature form. The piece is notable for its material—elephant ivory—and for its simplicity in style compared to large-scale royal statuary.

Overview

The ivory statuette was discovered in 1903 by Flinders Petrie during his excavations at Kom el-Sultan, situated in the northern part of Abydos in Upper Egypt. The archaeological context was fragmentary: the statuette was found in a disturbed deposit within the remains of the Early Dynastic to Old Kingdom sacred precinct associated with Abydos’ temple complex. Its precise stratigraphic position was unclear due to the disturbed nature of the layer, but stylistic analysis and historical association have securely dated the object to the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom, during Khufu’s reign. The find location—far from Khufu’s funerary complex at Giza—suggests either the statuette’s use in a cultic installation at Abydos or its deposition as a votive or ritual object related to Osirian traditions that developed around the site. The piece is now housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, designated (JE 36143).

Description

circa 2613-2494 BCE

The statuette is carved from a single piece of ivory and stands approximately 7.5 centimeters tall. It depicts Khufu seated upon a low-backed throne. The figure is shown wearing the red crown of Lower Egypt (Deshret), which is unusual given the king’s primary association with Memphis and Giza, centers of royal power in Lower Egypt. The features of the face are minimally modeled: the nose is broad, the mouth small and straight, and the eyes are rendered without detailed carving. The king’s arms rest flat along his sides, and his hands are placed on his thighs in the conventional pose of Old Kingdom seated royal figures. The proportions of the figure are compact, and the carving overall is simple and functional rather than highly refined.

On the front of the throne is an incised cartouche containing Khufu’s name. The throne itself is plain, lacking elaborate decorative motifs. The back of the figure and the rear of the seat are flat, indicating that the piece may have originally been set against another object or surface. Damage is present on the upper part of the crown and on portions of the left arm and throne. Despite its modest scale and simplicity, the statuette provides valuable insight into Old Kingdom royal imagery and the dissemination of Khufu’s cult beyond the Giza necropolis.

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See Also

• Khufu Ship
• Great Pyramid of Khufu

References

• William Stevenson Smith, William Kelly Simpson. The Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt (= Pelican history of art, Vol. 14). 3rd edition, Yale University Press, New Haven 1998, ISBN 0300077475.
• Barry J. Kemp, "The Osiris Temple at Abydos" in Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts, Abteilung Kairo. (MDAIK) No. 23, 1968, pp. 138–155.
• Abeer El-Shahawy, Farid S. Atiya. The Egyptian Museum in Cairo. A Walk Through the Alleys of Ancient Egypt. American University in Cairo Press, New York/Cairo 2005, ISBN 9771721836.
• W. M. Flinders Petrie. Abydos Part II. The Egypt Exploration Fund, London 1903, (Online Version).
• Die Hauptwerke im Ägyptischen Museum in Kairo. Official Catalogue. Edited by the Supreme Council of Antiquities of the Arab Republic of Egypt. von Zabern, Mainz 1986, ISBN 3-8053-0640-7; ISBN 3-8053-0904-X, No. 28.
• Zahi Hawass. The Khufu Statuette: Is it an Old Kingdom Sculpture? in Paule Posener-Kriéger (ed.): Mélanges Gamal Eddin Mokhtar (= Bibliothèque d'étude, Vol. 97, 1). Institut français d'archéologie orientale du Caire, Cairo 1985, ISBN 2-7247-0020-1.
• Margaret Alice Murray, Egyptian sculpture. New Edition. Greenwood Press, London 1970, pp. 50–52.
• Rainer Stadelmann, Formale Kriterien zur Datierung der königlichen Plastik der 4. Dynastie in Nicolas Grimal, Les critères de datation stylistiques à l´Ancien Empire. Institut français d´archéologie orientale, Le Caire 1998, ISBN 2-7247-0206-9, p. 353.
• Richard A. Fazzini, Robert S. Bianchi, James F. Romano, Donald B. Spanel, Ancient Egyptian Art in the Brooklyn Museum. Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn (NY) 1989, ISBN 0-87273-118-9, p. 31.
• Sylvia Schoske, Dietrich Wildung (edd.), Staatliche Sammlung Ägyptischer Kunst München (= Zaberns Bildbände zur Archäologie. Vol. 31). von Zabern, Mainz 1995, ISBN 3-8053-1837-5, p. 43.
• Richard Bussmann, Die Provinztempel Ägyptens von der 0. bis zur 11. Dynastie (= Probleme der Ägyptologie, Vol. 30). Brill, Leiden 2007, ISBN 9789004179332, pp. 90, 147, 467.
• William S. Smith: A History of Egyptian Sculpture and Painting in the Old Kingdom. pp. 20 & 157.
• Dagmar Stockfisch, Untersuchungen zum Totenkult des ägyptischen Königs im Alten Reich. Die Dekoration der königlichen Totenkultanlagen (= Antiquitates, Band 25.). Kovač, Hamburg 1994, ISBN 3-8300-0857-0, pp. 19 & 93.
• Christian Ziegler, Small Head of King Khafre with Red Crown in John P. O´Neill (ed): Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 1999, ISBN 0-87099-906-0, S. 260.