The block statue is a type of memorial statue that first emerged in the Middle Kingdom of Egypt.[1] The block statue grew in popularity in the New Kingdom and the Third Intermediate Period, and by the Late Period, this type of statue was the most common. These statues were used in temples typically as funerary monuments of non-royal yet important individuals.[2] According to primary sources from the New Kingdom, the posture of the statue was possibly intended to resemble a guardian seated in the gateway of a temple.[3] In addition, their simple shape provided ample flat surfaces for inscriptions of offerings and invocations.
Block-statue of Pa-Ankh-Ra, ship master, bearing a statue of Ptah. Late Period, ca. 650–633 BC, Cabinet des Médailles.
Block statues consist of a man squatting with his knees drawn up to his chest and his arms folded on top his knees. Often, these men are wearing a "wide cloak" that reduces the body of the figure to a simple block-like shape.[4] Most of the detail is reserved for the head of the individual being depicted. In some instances the modeling of the limbs has been retained by the sculptor.[5] There are two basic types of block statues: ones with the feet completely covered by the cloak and ones with the feet uncovered.[6]
In 1903, more than 350 block statues were discovered by the French archaeologist Georges Legrain as part of the "Karnak cachette".[7]
In Egypt, statues of the seated scribe appear as long ago as the 1st Dynasty. Seated scribe statues evolved over time and some also came to incorporate, Thoth, or the baboon (as the scribal god), into the statue presentation. So, also the complexities of the block statue developed, and evolved. Combinational themes became common, and likewise abbreviated, (simpler, and less costly, – detailed), also developed.
Examples of the statue for Senemut, of Queen Hatshepsut's reign, have extensive stories in hieroglyphs. They also have the added head of the child Neferure upon the top surface. They are finely executed, in a medium or high finish. As an example of the Block statue, Senemut's is one of the typical types:
a story of the honored individual on the front surface;
a presentation of the individual, in statue form (in this case with an additional, lesser individual);
a theme. For Senemut, his theme appears to be: His honoring, His personal story, and the lesser individual, who was his responsibility.
Historical magic: the seated statue "stands up"edit
Since the Egyptian belief system contained concepts framed in a world of magic and a formal framework of art expression, the block statue had a magical purpose. Obviously ideas evolved, but eventually the idea came for the statue that it was always – seated in place, and at a moments notice, the individual could stand erect and "go out into the day." This concept is quite similar to the Book of the Dead, where the individual is:
returning, and entering..(to/from cemetery Neter-Khert)..the daily returning for events wonderful, to the loved, created habits, (all), sitting in the Hall, Senet-playing... returning as a living-soul (Ba), Chapter VII, lines 1-3.5. (The Book of the Dead, subtitle: The Coming Forth by Day.)
The deceased individual Egyptian person returns each day, to perform their usual daily life duties. It is also equivalent to the earlier concept of the false door, where the ba-soul returned each day, to find the food offering.
Block statue: examplesedit
,
God's Priest[top/1st] for Amun — BakenKhonsu in hieroglyphs
The following examples are found in the Ref. Section that follows:
Block statue for Bakenkhonsu, (Bak, eN, Chons, nsu), who was "High Priest of Amun", for Ramesses II, who possibly usurped this block statue. See Ramses II Ref.
Block statue of Satepihu, from Abydos, 18th Dynasty. Extensive hieroglyphs: horizontal, front; vertical columns on sides. See Wilkinson Ref., pg 30.
(frontO21)
,
(also)
(naosO18)
Common – shaped shrine-(frontal) --- or Naos-(side) in hieroglyphs
Block statue for the scribe Rey. A lesser statue; it has few hieroglyphs, but the front surface has him holding a sistraform shrine (a naos).[8]
Block statue of Vizier Khay, Karnak, 19th Dynasty. This Block statue fuses the form of the Block statue with that of "shrine" (Shrine #1, Upper Egyptian Shrine). The lintel base, has a single row of hieroglyphs, that extend to the left and to the right (starting at front, center).[9]
Block statue of 12th Dynasty official, Senwosret-senebefni, in medium brown quartzite. Originally the statue was brought to France by Napoleon, in 1799; it is now located at the Brooklyn Museum. The statue has an extensive hieroglyphic story, and a lesser statue of his wife at the front, base. See Reeves Ref., pg. 14.
Block statue of Senemut and Princess Neferure, Queen Hatshepsut's daughter, –New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, height 1.005 m, medium to deep black granite, high to extreme polish. Extensive hieroglyphic story: sides, front, top, and the tops of feet, at front base. (Front: 7 horizontal 'registers', and 6 vertical to the feet.) See Hagen Ref., pg. 60.
Block statue of Amenemhet, Amenemhat II (?), –18th Dynasty, height 0.8 m, dk granite, high polish. Front: eight (8) horizontal registers of hieroglyphs. See Hagen Ref., pg 101.
^Bernard V. Bothmer. Egyptian Art: Selected Writings of Bernard V. Bothmer. Edited by Madeleine E. Cody, with Paul Edmund Stanwick and Marsha Hill. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.
^Egyptian Sculpture of the Late Period, 700 B.C. to A.D. 100. Edited by Elizabeth Riefstahl. New York: John B. Watkins Company, 1960.
^Ian Shaw. The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt. "Block Statue." New York: Harris N. Abrams, 1995.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Block statues of Egypt.
Freed, Rita; Denver Museum; Egyptian Antiq. Org. Ramses II, The Great Pharaoh And His Time, Rita E. Freed, Denver Museum of Natural History, (2nd Printing for Denver), (Printed: Lithographic Printing Co., City of Memphis, TN), c 1987.
Hagen, R. Hagen, R. Egypt: People, Gods, Pharaohs, Rose-Marie & Rainer Hagen, (Barnes and Noble Books, New York), c 2003, (originally: Taschen, GmbH, Koln, c 2003, 1999); pg. 60; pg. 101.
Reeves, Nicholas. Ancient Egypt, The Great Discoveries, a Year-by-Year Chronicle, Nicholas Reeves, (Thames and Hudson Ltd, London), c 2000. See pgs 14-17, 1799, The Rosetta Stone: Cracking the Hieroglyphic Code,1799 The Tomb of Amenophis III, 1799 Denon's Papyrus.
Hatshepsut: from Queen to Pharaoh, a fully digitized exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries, which contains material on block statues
'Gifts for the Gods: Images from Egyptian Temples, a fully digitized exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries, which contains material on block statues
January 01, 1970
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This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Block statue news newspapers books scholar JSTOR July 2008 Learn how and when to remove this template message The block statue is a type of memorial statue that first emerged in the Middle Kingdom of Egypt 1 The block statue grew in popularity in the New Kingdom and the Third Intermediate Period and by the Late Period this type of statue was the most common These statues were used in temples typically as funerary monuments of non royal yet important individuals 2 According to primary sources from the New Kingdom the posture of the statue was possibly intended to resemble a guardian seated in the gateway of a temple 3 In addition their simple shape provided ample flat surfaces for inscriptions of offerings and invocations Block statue of Pa Ankh Ra ship master bearing a statue of Ptah Late Period ca 650 633 BC Cabinet des Medailles Block statues consist of a man squatting with his knees drawn up to his chest and his arms folded on top his knees Often these men are wearing a wide cloak that reduces the body of the figure to a simple block like shape 4 Most of the detail is reserved for the head of the individual being depicted In some instances the modeling of the limbs has been retained by the sculptor 5 There are two basic types of block statues ones with the feet completely covered by the cloak and ones with the feet uncovered 6 In 1903 more than 350 block statues were discovered by the French archaeologist Georges Legrain as part of the Karnak cachette 7 Contents 1 History of the Egyptian block statue 2 Historical magic the seated statue stands up 3 Block statue examples 3 1 Block statue photos 4 References 5 External linksHistory of the Egyptian block statue editIn Egypt statues of the seated scribe appear as long ago as the 1st Dynasty Seated scribe statues evolved over time and some also came to incorporate Thoth or the baboon as the scribal god into the statue presentation So also the complexities of the block statue developed and evolved Combinational themes became common and likewise abbreviated simpler and less costly detailed also developed Examples of the statue for Senemut of Queen Hatshepsut s reign have extensive stories in hieroglyphs They also have the added head of the child Neferure upon the top surface They are finely executed in a medium or high finish As an example of the Block statue Senemut s is one of the typical types a story of the honored individual on the front surface a presentation of the individual in statue form in this case with an additional lesser individual a theme For Senemut his theme appears to be His honoring His personal story and the lesser individual who was his responsibility Historical magic the seated statue stands up editSince the Egyptian belief system contained concepts framed in a world of magic and a formal framework of art expression the block statue had a magical purpose Obviously ideas evolved but eventually the idea came for the statue that it was always seated in place and at a moments notice the individual could stand erect and go out into the day This concept is quite similar to the Book of the Dead where the individual is returning and entering to from cemetery Neter Khert the daily returning for events wonderful to the loved created habits all sitting in the Hall Senet playing returning as a living soul Ba Chapter VII lines 1 3 5 The Book of the Dead subtitle The Coming Forth by Day The deceased individual Egyptian person returns each day to perform their usual daily life duties It is also equivalent to the earlier concept of the false door where the ba soul returned each day to find the food offering Block statue examples edit God s Priest top 1st for Amun BakenKhonsuin hieroglyphs The following examples are found in the Ref Section that follows Block statue for Bakenkhonsu Bak eN Chons nsu who was High Priest of Amun for Ramesses II who possibly usurped this block statue See Ramses II Ref Block statue of Satepihu from Abydos 18th Dynasty Extensive hieroglyphs horizontal front vertical columns on sides See Wilkinson Ref pg 30 frontO21 also naosO18 Common shaped shrine frontal or Naos side in hieroglyphs Block statue for the scribe Rey A lesser statue it has few hieroglyphs but the front surface has him holding a sistraform shrine a naos 8 Block statue of Vizier Khay Karnak 19th Dynasty This Block statue fuses the form of the Block statue with that of shrine Shrine 1 Upper Egyptian Shrine The lintel base has a single row of hieroglyphs that extend to the left and to the right starting at front center 9 Block statue of 12th Dynasty official Senwosret senebefni in medium brown quartzite Originally the statue was brought to France by Napoleon in 1799 it is now located at the Brooklyn Museum The statue has an extensive hieroglyphic story and a lesser statue of his wife at the front base See Reeves Ref pg 14 Block statue of Senemut and Princess Neferure Queen Hatshepsut s daughter New Kingdom 18th Dynasty height 1 005 m medium to deep black granite high to extreme polish Extensive hieroglyphic story sides front top and the tops of feet at front base Front 7 horizontal registers and 6 vertical to the feet See Hagen Ref pg 60 Block statue of Amenemhet Amenemhat II 18th Dynasty height 0 8 m dk granite high polish Front eight 8 horizontal registers of hieroglyphs See Hagen Ref pg 101 nbsp Statue of a scribe British Museum nbsp Senemut nbsp 18th dynasty nbsp A 26th dynasty army general Pa di Chahdedet nbsp Block statue for Khay Scribe for the general staff showing titulary god of the scribe Thoth a baboon nbsp Harwa attendant to the Divine Adoratrice of Amun Amenirdis I nbsp Block statue made from greywacke 23rd Dynasty 775 BC nbsp Block statue of Bakenkhonsu Block statue photos edit Image Article BlkStatue Ruiu Block Statue of Senemut Archived 2013 09 28 at the Wayback Machine Article Archived 2013 08 08 at the Wayback Machine see SenemutReferences edit Bernard V Bothmer Egyptian Art Selected Writings of Bernard V Bothmer Edited by Madeleine E Cody with Paul Edmund Stanwick and Marsha Hill Oxford and New York Oxford University Press 2004 Egyptian Sculpture of the Late Period 700 B C to A D 100 Edited by Elizabeth Riefstahl New York John B Watkins Company 1960 Ian Shaw The Dictionary of Ancient Egypt Block Statue New York Harris N Abrams 1995 Bothmer 94 Shaw Block Statue Late Period 4 5 Schulz Regine 2011 Block Statue PDF file In Willeke Wendrich ed UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology Los Angeles Reading Egyptian Art Wilkinson p 212 Reading Egyptian Art Wilkinson p 140 nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Block statues of Egypt Freed Rita Denver Museum Egyptian Antiq Org Ramses II The Great Pharaoh And His Time Rita E Freed Denver Museum of Natural History 2nd Printing for Denver Printed Lithographic Printing Co City of Memphis TN c 1987 Hagen R Hagen R Egypt People Gods Pharaohs Rose Marie amp Rainer Hagen Barnes and Noble Books New York c 2003 originally Taschen GmbH Koln c 2003 1999 pg 60 pg 101 Reeves Nicholas Ancient Egypt The Great Discoveries a Year by Year Chronicle Nicholas Reeves Thames and Hudson Ltd London c 2000 See pgs 14 17 1799 The Rosetta Stone Cracking the Hieroglyphic Code 1799 The Tomb of Amenophis III 1799 Denon s Papyrus Wilkinson Richard Reading Egyptian Art A Hieroglyphic Guide to Ancient Egyptian Painting and Sculpture Richard H Wilkinson with 450 Illustrations Thames amp Hudson Ltd London c 1992 Uses Gardiner s Sign List for Hieroglyphs External links editBrooklyn Museum website Louvre block statue of Wahibre Wah ib re Louvre statue Enlarge in Window accessed 6 February 2007 Block Statue of Senemut Archived 2013 09 28 at the Wayback Machine Article Archived 2013 08 08 at the Wayback Machine see Senemut Hatshepsut from Queen to Pharaoh a fully digitized exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries which contains material on block statues Gifts for the Gods Images from Egyptian Temples a fully digitized exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries which contains material on block statues Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Block statue amp oldid 1167904372, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
