Seated Statue of Hatshepsut

­Mariela Espinoza-Leon
Propaganda and Political Undertones in the Seated Statue of Hatshepsut
Karen Greenwalt
AH 110 Fall 2013
Final Word Count: 2145

When one thinks of ancient Egypt, images of seated pharaohs like king Tutankhamun automatically come to mind, it seems strange to think of a female ruler as the male kings were the standard of the era, save for a few exceptions. One the exceptions to the standard male pharaohs, and the first of her kind, was Queen Hatshepsut- the first female pharaoh of ancient Egypt. Queen Hatshepsut reined Ancient Egypt between the years of 1473-1458 BCE, a reign that about two decades. Through the artifacts and temples that have been left behind, one is able to study her mighty reign. Yet, it is through the art that commemorated her reign that tells us the most about her and the way she ruled. One of the most interesting pieces of sculpture that put her rule into focus is one that was found at Deir el-Bahri. The Seated Statue of Hatshepsut (also known as Hatshepsut as King), found near Thebes at Deir el-Bahri in Egypt, is one that certainly exudes femininity and grace while remaining both power and strength. The Seated Statue of Hatshepsut uses an idealized, strong image that marks a propagandistic approach to her imagery hinting at political undertones. It is through Hatshepsut’s gaze, way of dress, and iconic representations of garb and blending of the male and female genders, along with the disputed locations or where this statue once stood that that the Queen Hatshepsut successfully creates an idealized image as propaganda.
Originally it was thought that this seated statue of Hatshepsut would be found standing inside of a sort of chapel, ready to receive any offerings from her followers of from her worshippers. However this seated statue has been a matter if many discussions in terms of where it was originally located and who had it commission, as it was thought that this particular statue was placed in Hatshepsut’s temple at Deir el-Bahri for her followers to praise but there are no texts that make a direct mention of it. From this it is unsure if someone had it commissioned to honor Hatshepsut and placed in in a temple and later moved, or if Hatshepsut herself had the statue made and transferred to Deir el-Bahri.1 It is thought that when the doors of the shrine that held the statue were opened at sunrise, the “bodily daughter of Re” or Hatshepsut, was illuminated by the rays of her heavenly father and elevated to the level of being a radiant being.2 The statue itself sits very regally upon this stone, emanating a feel of power and rightful rule from this life-sized figure­­­. Her eyes do not sit on the viewer but again lie elsewhere. Many scholars have come to the conclusion that the chin was raised slightly so that the eyes looked beyond the viewer rather than directly ahead, her view instead focused to look towards the horizon to the lands of her heavenly father Re3 (Fig. 3). The statue was also supposed to represent her wait and alertness to rise from this restricted form to join her heavenly father, her gaze also not being concentrated on her worshippers or priests but rather on the horizon. Despite who created the sculpture or where it originally stood, the main function of this particular statue was to show the common people the strength and religious devotion of their female ruler and her link to the gods as divine ruler. As she was the first of her kind as female pharaoh she had to prove herself in a manner of ways. Since she was the female ruler to grace Egypt, she had to create an image that depicted herself as a ruler that would make the right decisions for her people and chosen by the gods, to show them that she was going to be there for them and guide them. It is through the eyes that one first sees on the Seated Statue of Hatshepsut that it is clear to see her almond shaped eyes give off a look of confidence and self-reliance, are both expressed from the posture of Hatshepsut’s face. As Watts and Ghirsh also put it “A sense of royal dignity and permanence is created by the facial expression, the static ­pose, and the rectangular throne and high base from which the symmetrical and frontal figure emerges.” 4
Immediately looking at the Seated Statue of Hatshepsut (Fig. 1), the viewer can easily tell of her great importance and power through the look of her gaze. The statue itself has a soft look to it from the indurated (hardened) limestone, which is quite curious if one compares the Seated Statue of Hatshepsut to the earlier statue created in her image titled Hatshepsut as King. One of the marked differences in the figures is that Hatshepsut as Female king was created out of red granite entitled while the Seated Statue of Hatshepsut was created out of the indurated (hardened), colored limestone which is a softer material than the red granite5. This is proven by the fact that the red granite statue is almost completely intact while the Seated Statues of Hatshepsut is a bit worn away with missing limbs, and it is even missing its original color. Another way to compare these two figures is that Hatshepsut as king is one that is more feminine to its later seated, limestone counterpart. Here the red granite Hatshepsut as Female King (figure 2) is clearly defined in a feminine form, having flowing dress with predominant female physical attributes. Comparing the two sculptures is quite interesting as it is easier to see the marked differences in the sculptures, especially telling are the differences in the size of the torso and breasts. In the Seated State of Hatshepsut the viewer is able to easily see that Hatshepsut has chosen to portray herself more like a man than she has portrayed herself in earlier works like the reed granite.6
The Seated Statue of Hatshepsut is one that is highly idealized in both a feminine and masculine ways, which is perhaps why this particular statue of Queen Hatshepsut looks a bit abnormal at first as it combines a bit of both physical aspects of both the male and female genders. If one were to simply glance very quickly at this sculpture and not really analyze what is being viewed, one might come to the conclusion that the sculpture is that of a man. It is only when one looks in for a closer inspection that one realizes that the figurine is that of a female, predominantly by the soft female features of the face and by the smooth and rounded breasts that contrast with the sharpness of the traditional headdress known as the nemes.7 Through my own analysis and thoughts, I have been led to believe that Hatshepsut changed the way in that she was portrayed to represent the power and the stability that she would bring to her people. In this statue she contrasts her ability to maintain true to herself as a female ruler, while at the same time thinking back at the male rulers that came before her melding both the female and male forms into one.
One of the overlooked important piece of information about the Seated Statue of Hatshepsut are the inscriptions that run down the front of the throne which only use the feminine forms to show that the figure is indeed one of a queen and not a king. It is in here that the inscriptions describe Hatshepsut as “The perfect goddess, lady of the two lands Maatkare, beloved of Amun Re, Lord of the thrones of the two lands, may she live forever!”8 (Fig.4). Another sort of inscriptions found upon this statue are those that are located at the resting of her feet at the base. It is here at this base that the inscriptions of Egypt’s traditional enemies are found (known as the nine bows), upon which Hatshepsut’s firmly rested feet are placed. The nine bows were not a specific group of people as Egypt saw the changes in its enemies, the nine bows are merely there to represent that Hatshepsut is ready to take on whatever threat comes to pass. 9Surely this small detail represents her power to subdue any Egypt’s enemies as well as showing her power and dominance over them. It gives off a message that despite the fact that she is a woman, she is not beneath showing everyone who is in charge and what power she is capable of unleashing on her enemies.10 Through this simple iconography of inscriptions and the nine bows at her feet, Hatshepsut is able to send a message full of power ready to defend her people from what may come.
Thus, as seen Hatshepsut used varying means of iconography and an idealized statue to present herself to her people as a devotional figure to her heavenly father and to present herself as rightful ruler, capable of ruling. Yet the inscriptions are not the only pieces of iconography that Hatshepsut employs in the seated statue. In the Seated Statue of Hatshepsut she shows two sides to her, those being her soft femininity and her rigid masculinity, almost as if it had been passed down to her from the male rulers that had come before her. This statue still manages to contain a strong feminine presence and representation of Hatshepsut, but is one that is expressed in terms of male iconography. Unlike earlier statues like the red granite Hatshepsut as king(Fig.2) that show her in this same pose wearing a female garment, her garb here is that of a male. In the Seated Statue of Hatshepsut she wears the royal shendyt kilt with a bull 's tail between her legs which was a typical garb of male rulers.11 This change is garb is markedly observed as a transition to from a feminine form to one that is more masculine. It is the delicate proportions of her heart-shaped face and the subtle but the again obvious breasts that mark this figure as being a woman. Perhaps this was made in a way to appeal to the regular citizens who could gaze upon the seated statue. They would see this queen pharaoh which was similar to those that had come before her, surely this image would assure them that she would carry out the same duties as they had and take care of her people. This statue is certainly a clear example of propaganda that delivers a clear message to those that view the Seated Statue of Hatshepsut, one both power and wealth showing that she (Hatshepsut) is in charge. As Tyldesley so accurate states that the massive stone buildings and the newly erected statues served as a constant reminder that there was a powerful pharaoh on the throne, and as she remarks it was ‘everlasting propaganda in stone’.12 In the aftermath of everything, Queen Hatshepsut manages to portray herself a worthy ruler to set her apart from the men that preceded her rule. The way that her body is melding to represent both the female genders unifies the idea that she can be great like her male predecessors but it also implies that she can stay true to herself in that she shows her femininity through it as well. The Seated state of Hatshepsut is a tribute to how a formal image presented to the common citizen can serve as a piece of propaganda to send her subjects a message of both power and wealth while being able to maintain both her feminine and inner masculine sides in touch with each other. This statue binds the idealized form at the time and tells the viewer in the current modern era that this is how Queen Hatshepsut wants to be viewed, as a powerful ruler ready to defend her people from their enemies. In the end the Seated Statue of Hatshepsut shows what a woman full of ambition can achieve and how she used an idealized image of both the men that came before her, combining it with hers to create a statue that send out a clear message of power.
Figures

Works Cited
Dodson, Aidan. "Two Royal Reliefs from the Temple of Deir El-Bahri." The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 74, (1998): 212-14.
Morkot, Robert G. The A to Z of Ancient Egyptian Warfare. Scarecrow Press, 2010.
Robins, Gay. “The Names of Hatshepsut as King." The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 85, (1999):103-12.
Roehrig, Catherine H., Renee Dreyfus, and Cathleen A. Keller , Hatshepsut, from Queen to Pharaoh. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2005.
Simpson, William K. "A Protocol of Dress: The Royal and Private Fold of the Kilt." The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 74 , (1998): 203-04.
Teether, Emily. "Hatshepsut and Her World." American Journal of Archaeology 110, no.4 (2006):649-53
Tyldesley, Joyce A. Hatchepsut: The Female Pharaoh. London; Viking, 1996.
Watts, Edith W., and Barry Girsh. The Art of Ancient Egypt: A Resource for Educators. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1998.

Cited: Dodson, Aidan. "Two Royal Reliefs from the Temple of Deir El-Bahri." The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 74, (1998): 212-14. Morkot, Robert G. The A to Z of Ancient Egyptian Warfare. Scarecrow Press, 2010. Robins, Gay. “The Names of Hatshepsut as King." The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology  85, (1999):103-12. Roehrig, Catherine H., Renee Dreyfus, and Cathleen A. Keller , Hatshepsut, from Queen to Pharaoh. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2005. Simpson, William K. "A Protocol of Dress: The Royal and Private Fold of the Kilt." The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 74 , (1998): 203-04. Teether, Emily. "Hatshepsut and Her World." American Journal of Archaeology 110, no.4 (2006):649-53 Tyldesley, Joyce A. Hatchepsut: The Female Pharaoh. London; Viking, 1996. Watts, Edith W., and Barry Girsh. The Art of Ancient Egypt: A Resource for Educators. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1998.