Menkaure and Queen Khameremnebty

In ancient Egypt, hierarchy was glorified to signify the contribution and power they had. In the statue “Menkaure and Queen Khamerernebty,” the artist portrays these traits through an authoritative vision of the figure. He illustrates this image from the simplistic posture of the individual rather then elaborating on jewelry or clothes. The artist creates these two individual of royalty under one strong power, were the male figure represent authority and is supported by the naturalistic female queen, which is slightly less powering.
This piece overall represents the power of hierarchy. In ancient Egypt time only the people with power and status would have themselves sculpted. The queen’s role was to, “provide him with male heirs to the throne or with daughters for creating alliances through advantageous marriages.”(HWAR 49) the queen could be either the king’s mother or his wife, as marriage only took place for political reason. The pharoahs role of being content with god and his, “divine right to rule,”(48) therefore has been ,”consider a god.” (48)

The male in the statue is Menkaure the son of Khafre, as he represents the stereotype of man of the house. His straightforward posture and left foot forward signify his power. This position also gives a strict and independent look by the V shaped torso and broad shoulders. The artist depicts Menkaure body with a clean edge and sharp lines to represent stability. Force and command is also represented in the piece by Menkaure gripped hand, while the queen is slightly behind him. The kilt he wears shows uniform and structure as lower down on the sculpture the knees are squared to create a solid stance of