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Portraits of Power

Ancient Egyptian artists created these sculptures to inspire awe and fear

March 2014

The funerary mask of Tutankhamen (ca. 1370-1352 b.c.), New Kingdom, ca. 1336-1327 b.c. Gold inlaid with semi-precious stones. Egyptian National Museum, Cairo. Image: ©Boltin Picture Library/The Bridgeman Art Library.

What makes this mask symmetrical?

Even thousands of years before the “selfie” was invented, people were concerned with the image of themselves they presented to the world. The ancient Egyptians wanted this image to live on forever. The rulers of ancient Egypt had artists sculpt elaborate portraits of them to adorn their tombs and preserve their images even after death.

The Youngest Pharaoh

The mask at left and on the cover, shows King Tutankhamen (too-tahn-kah-men), who lived more than 3,000 years ago. The young pharaoh, or ruler, reigned over ancient Egypt for 10 years, until his death at age 19. “King Tut” remained practically unknown in the modern world until 1922, when Egyptologists discovered his tomb, buried and forgotten for centuries. The treasures inside gave the world its first detailed picture of ancient Egyptian life.

The archaeologists who discovered King Tut’s tomb had to pry open three nested coffins before unveiling the astonishing death mask. Cast of gold and inlaid with colored glass and gemstones, the mask helped protect Tut’s mummified body. The symmetrical, or balanced, mask is stylized, with simplified features. The mask reflects the Egyptian view of the pharaoh’s place in society, not just as a ruler, but as a god.  

The Life Spirit

Seated Statue of Hatshepsut as King, ca. 1473-1458 b.c. Egypt, Thebes, Deir el-Bahri, 18th Dynasty. Indurated limestone, h. 195 cm (763/4 in.); w. 49 cm (195/16 in.); d. 114 cm (447/8 in.). The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Rogers Fund, 1929 (29.3.2). Image: ©The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Image source: Art Resource, NY.

How can you tell that this sculpture should be viewed from the front?

The ancient Egyptians worshipped many gods. They also believed that all people had a life spirit, called a ka, that needed a place to live after the body died. Elaborate tombs inside huge pyramids protected the pharaohs’ ka. The ka could also reside in portrait sculptures like the one on the far right, of Hatshepsut (hat-shep-soot), a female Egyptian ruler. The wife of a pharaoh, Hatshepsut took on the role of king after her husband died. Carved from limestone, this life-size, sculpture embodies the life force of Hatshepsut’s ka. The artist suggests Hatshepsut’s strength and permanence by placing her feet firmly on the ground and resting her hands on her knees in a rigid, commanding pose.

The Sphinx and Pyramid of Cheops. Giza, Cairo. Image: ©Sylvain Grandadam/Robert Harding World Imagery/Corbis.

The Great Sphinx was carved from solid rock more than 4,000 years ago.

Revered Rulers

Bust of Queen Nefertiti, ca. 1340 BC. Painted limestone, gypsum, crystal, and wax, 50 cm tall. Aegyptisches Museum, Berlin. Image: ©Sean Gallup/Getty Images.

Queen Nefertiti’s name means “The beautiful woman has come.” How has the artist represented his subject’s beauty?

Viewers are meant to look at the sculpture of Hatshepsut from a frontal angle only. But the portrait of Nefertiti (nef-er-tee-tee), right, is a sculpture in the round, meaning viewers should observe it from many points of view.

The artist, Thutmose (thoot-mo-seh), created this portrait using a subtractive process. He carved a block of limestone, removing material to form the figure. The work is a highly realistic portrait of a queen who ruled beside her husband, a pharaoh. Painted with delicate, lifelike features, the dramatic colors in this portrait resemble the makeup Nefertiti probably wore in life.

Long before any of these portraits were created, a huge creature with a lion’s body and a human head stood guard in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. No one knows who created the Great Sphinx (sfinks), above, or why, but it is said to resemble an early pharaoh. Carved out of solid rock on a monumental, or larger-than-life, scale, the Great Sphinx is possibly the oldest and most imposing portrait in the world.

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