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Younger Memnon

The Younger Memnon is an Ancient Egyptian statue, one of two colossal granite heads from the Ramesseum mortuary temple in Thebes, Upper Egypt. It depicts the Nineteenth Dynasty Pharaoh Ramesses II wearing the Nemes head-dress with a cobra diadem on top. The damaged statue has since lost its body and lower limbs. It is one of a pair that originally flanked the Ramesseum's doorway. The head of the other statue is still found at the temple.

Younger Memnon colossal figure
The Younger Memnon (Ramesses II)
MaterialGranite
SizeH: 267 cm (105 in)
W: 203 cm (80 in)
Createdc. 1270 BC
Period/culture19th Dynasty
PlaceRamesseum, Doorway
Present locationRoom 4, British Museum,
London
IdentificationEA 19

Description

The Younger Memnon is 2.7 metres (8 ft 10 in) high × 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) wide (across the shoulders). It weighs 7.25 tons and was cut from a single block of two-coloured granite. There is a slight variation of normal conventions in that the eyes look down slightly more than usual, and to exploit the different colours (broadly speaking, the head is in one colour, and the body another).

Acquisition

Belzoni

 
The pair to The Younger Memnon, still at the Ramesseum

Napoleon's men tried but failed to dig and remove it to France during his 1798 expedition there, during which he did acquire but then lost the Rosetta Stone. It was during this attempt that the hole on the right of the torso (just above Ramesses's right nipple) is said to have been made.

 
The installation of the Younger Memnon at the BM sculpture gallery

Following an idea mentioned to him by his friend Johann Ludwig Burckhardt of digging the statue and bringing it to Britain, the British Consul General Henry Salt hired the adventurer Giovanni Belzoni in Cairo in 1815 for this purpose. Using his hydraulics and engineering skills, it was pulled on wooden rollers by ropes to the bank of the Nile opposite Luxor by hundreds of workmen. However, no boat was yet available to take it up to Alexandria and so Belzoni carried out an expedition to Nubia, returning by October. With French collectors also in the area possibly looking to acquire the statue, he then sent workmen to Esna to gain a suitable boat and in the meantime carried out further excavations in Thebes. He finally loaded the products of these digs, plus the Memnon, onto this boat and got it to Cairo by 15 December 1816. There he received and obeyed orders from Salt to unload all but the Memnon, which was then sent on to Alexandria and London without him.

Anticipated by Shelley's poem "Ozymandias," the head arrived in 1818 on Weymouth in Deptford. In London it acquired its name "The Younger Memnon," after the "Memnonianum" (the name in classical times for the Ramesseum – the two statues at the entrance of the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III were associated with Memnon in classical times, and are still known as the Colossi of Memnon. The British Museum sculpture and its pair seem to have either been mistaken for them or suffered a similar misnaming).

British Museum

 
The Younger Memnon digitally restored to the lower half of the statue still in the Ramesseum

It was later acquired from Salt in 1821 by the British Museum and was at first displayed in the old Townley Galleries (now demolished) for several years, then installed (using heavy ropes and lifting equipment and with help from the Royal Engineers) in 1834 in the new Egyptian Sculpture Gallery (now Room 4, where it now resides). The soldiers were commanded by a Waterloo veteran, Major Charles Cornwallis Dansey, lame from a wound sustained there, who therefore sat whilst commanding them. On its arrival there, it could be said to be the first piece of Egyptian sculpture to be recognized as a work of art rather than a curiosity low down in the chain of art (with ancient Greek art at the pinnacle of this chain). It is museum number EA 19.[1]

 
Another view of The Younger Memnon

In February 2010, the statue was featured as object 20 in A History of the World in 100 Objects, a BBC Radio 4 programme by British Museum director Neil MacGregor.[2][3]

References

  1. ^ "The Younger Memnon › The British Museum". Britishmuseum.org. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  2. ^ "A History of the World – Object: Statue of Ramesses II". BBC. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  3. ^ "Colossal bust of Ramesses II, the 'Younger Memnon' › The British Museum". Britishmuseum.org. 14 May 2010. Retrieved 6 June 2010.

Sources

British Museum website
  • BM Catalogue entry
  • Another BM page on the Younger Memnon
  • Salt's permission to remove objects
  • Its installation in the Museum
Publications
  • James, T. G. H.; Davies, W. V. (1983), Egyptian Sculpture, Harvard University Press, p. 41, ISBN 978-0-674-24161-9
  • G. Belzoni, Narrative of the operations and recent discoveries within the pyramids, temples, tombs, and excavations in Egypt and Nubia I (London, John Murray, 1822), pp. 61–80
  • S. Quirke and A.J. Spencer, The British Museum book of ancient Egypt (London, The British Museum Press, 1992), pp. 126–7
  • Albert M. Lythgoe, 'Statues of the Goddess Sekhmet', The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin Vol. 14, No. 10, Part 2 (Oct., 1919), pp. 1+3-23
  • Stephanie Moser, Wondrous Curiosities: Ancient Egypt at the British Museum (University of Chicago Press, 2006), ISBN 0-226-54209-2

External links

  • 3D model of the Younger Memnon via photogrammetric survey
  • Encyclopaedic.net – extracts from Belzoni's account
This article is about an item held in the British Museum. The object reference is EA 19.
Preceded by A History of the World in 100 Objects
Object 20
Succeeded by

Coordinates: 25°43′39″N 32°36′37″E / 25.7275°N 32.6104°E / 25.7275; 32.6104

younger, memnon, ancient, egyptian, statue, colossal, granite, heads, from, ramesseum, mortuary, temple, thebes, upper, egypt, depicts, nineteenth, dynasty, pharaoh, ramesses, wearing, nemes, head, dress, with, cobra, diadem, damaged, statue, since, lost, body. The Younger Memnon is an Ancient Egyptian statue one of two colossal granite heads from the Ramesseum mortuary temple in Thebes Upper Egypt It depicts the Nineteenth Dynasty Pharaoh Ramesses II wearing the Nemes head dress with a cobra diadem on top The damaged statue has since lost its body and lower limbs It is one of a pair that originally flanked the Ramesseum s doorway The head of the other statue is still found at the temple Younger Memnon colossal figureThe Younger Memnon Ramesses II MaterialGraniteSizeH 267 cm 105 in W 203 cm 80 in Createdc 1270 BCPeriod culture19th DynastyPlaceRamesseum DoorwayPresent locationRoom 4 British Museum LondonIdentificationEA 19 Contents 1 Description 2 Acquisition 2 1 Belzoni 2 2 British Museum 3 References 4 Sources 5 External linksDescription EditThe Younger Memnon is 2 7 metres 8 ft 10 in high 2 metres 6 ft 7 in wide across the shoulders It weighs 7 25 tons and was cut from a single block of two coloured granite There is a slight variation of normal conventions in that the eyes look down slightly more than usual and to exploit the different colours broadly speaking the head is in one colour and the body another Acquisition EditBelzoni Edit The pair to The Younger Memnon still at the Ramesseum Napoleon s men tried but failed to dig and remove it to France during his 1798 expedition there during which he did acquire but then lost the Rosetta Stone It was during this attempt that the hole on the right of the torso just above Ramesses s right nipple is said to have been made The installation of the Younger Memnon at the BM sculpture gallery Following an idea mentioned to him by his friend Johann Ludwig Burckhardt of digging the statue and bringing it to Britain the British Consul General Henry Salt hired the adventurer Giovanni Belzoni in Cairo in 1815 for this purpose Using his hydraulics and engineering skills it was pulled on wooden rollers by ropes to the bank of the Nile opposite Luxor by hundreds of workmen However no boat was yet available to take it up to Alexandria and so Belzoni carried out an expedition to Nubia returning by October With French collectors also in the area possibly looking to acquire the statue he then sent workmen to Esna to gain a suitable boat and in the meantime carried out further excavations in Thebes He finally loaded the products of these digs plus the Memnon onto this boat and got it to Cairo by 15 December 1816 There he received and obeyed orders from Salt to unload all but the Memnon which was then sent on to Alexandria and London without him Anticipated by Shelley s poem Ozymandias the head arrived in 1818 on Weymouth in Deptford In London it acquired its name The Younger Memnon after the Memnonianum the name in classical times for the Ramesseum the two statues at the entrance of the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III were associated with Memnon in classical times and are still known as the Colossi of Memnon The British Museum sculpture and its pair seem to have either been mistaken for them or suffered a similar misnaming British Museum Edit The Younger Memnon digitally restored to the lower half of the statue still in the Ramesseum It was later acquired from Salt in 1821 by the British Museum and was at first displayed in the old Townley Galleries now demolished for several years then installed using heavy ropes and lifting equipment and with help from the Royal Engineers in 1834 in the new Egyptian Sculpture Gallery now Room 4 where it now resides The soldiers were commanded by a Waterloo veteran Major Charles Cornwallis Dansey lame from a wound sustained there who therefore sat whilst commanding them On its arrival there it could be said to be the first piece of Egyptian sculpture to be recognized as a work of art rather than a curiosity low down in the chain of art with ancient Greek art at the pinnacle of this chain It is museum number EA 19 1 Another view of The Younger Memnon In February 2010 the statue was featured as object 20 in A History of the World in 100 Objects a BBC Radio 4 programme by British Museum director Neil MacGregor 2 3 References Edit The Younger Memnon The British Museum Britishmuseum org Retrieved 16 November 2015 A History of the World Object Statue of Ramesses II BBC Retrieved 6 June 2010 Colossal bust of Ramesses II the Younger Memnon The British Museum Britishmuseum org 14 May 2010 Retrieved 6 June 2010 Sources EditBritish Museum websiteBM Catalogue entry Another BM page on the Younger Memnon Salt s permission to remove objects Its installation in the MuseumPublicationsJames T G H Davies W V 1983 Egyptian Sculpture Harvard University Press p 41 ISBN 978 0 674 24161 9 G Belzoni Narrative of the operations and recent discoveries within the pyramids temples tombs and excavations in Egypt and Nubia I London John Murray 1822 pp 61 80 S Quirke and A J Spencer The British Museum book of ancient Egypt London The British Museum Press 1992 pp 126 7 Albert M Lythgoe Statues of the Goddess Sekhmet The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin Vol 14 No 10 Part 2 Oct 1919 pp 1 3 23 Stephanie Moser Wondrous Curiosities Ancient Egypt at the British Museum University of Chicago Press 2006 ISBN 0 226 54209 2External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Younger Memnon 3D model of the Younger Memnon via photogrammetric survey Encyclopaedic net extracts from Belzoni s account This article is about an item held in the British Museum The object reference is EA 19 Preceded by19 Mold cape A History of the World in 100 ObjectsObject 20 Succeeded by21 Lachish ReliefsCoordinates 25 43 39 N 32 36 37 E 25 7275 N 32 6104 E 25 7275 32 6104 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Younger Memnon amp oldid 1116383331, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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