Menkaure and Queen Khamerernebty essays

Menkaure and Queen Khamerernebty essays I have chosen to write about the statue of Menkaure and Queen Khamerernebty. The statue of the King and Queen was found in the Valley Temple of the pyramid of Menkaure at Giza and dates from 2490-2472 B.C. When looking at the statue, I find that it portrays a certain presence that commands attention. This is in part due to the standing portrait of both Menkaure and Queen Khamerernebty. You can see Menkaure stands tall with his head held high. The figure is a frontal view although Menkaures head seems to be slightly turned to the right. His body stands at attention with his arms positioned to his sides and hands clinched around what appear to be pegs or maybe dowels. His shoulders are unmoved and his hips remain even which does not fit the way a person stepping forward would actually look. Though this may not look naturalistic, it signifies the kings power. Standing beside him you find his wife Queen Khamerernebty with her right arm wrapped around his waist as her left arm crosses over to gently touch his left arm with wifely affection. Her left leg is also positioned forward, however not as far because of her lower ranking to the king. This is representation of male and female depicts the conventional differences between the two as she is portrayed in a more naturalistic style and therefore less imposing. The overall balance of the statue is approximately symmetrical due to the slightly smaller size of Queen Khamerernebty. The individual proportions for each of the subjects appears to be in relation with each of the their bodies, which gives the viewer a well balanced unity in general to the whole statue. The contours of the sculptures lines are simple and easy to follow. The compositional lines found throughout the piece are clean and provide the viewer with a smooth transition. The headdress as an example folds downward and onto the kings shoulders with a slight bend th ...