Painted limestone statues
of Ra-Hotep and his wife Nofret
excavated in 1871
by Mariette at Meidum
Mastaba of Ra-Hotep
4th Dynasty during the reign of Sneferu
(ruled c.2575-2551 BC).
The statues depicting Prince Ra-Hotep and his wife Nofret are they were found in Ra-Hotep's mastaba north of Snefru's pyramid. The two figures are seated on square-cut chairs with high backrests that are only slightly lower than their heads. Ra-Hotep's chair is slightly wider than Nofret's.
Ra-Hotep is represented with his right arm folded across his chest and his left resting on the left leg. Both his hands are closed. He is wearing a short black wig that leaves his thin face and high forehead completely uncovered. His facial features are carved with great realism. The large eyes are inlaid with quartz and rock crystal and are outlined with heavy black eye-paint and surmounted by painted eyebrows. The nose is well shaped and the rather large mouth is highlighted by a black-painted moustache. Around his neck he is wearing a thin chain and pendant. He is clothed only in a short white kilt. His torso and arms display a well-balanced and powerful musculature, while his legs and feet are rather heavy.
On the back of the chair on either side of his head are three columns of painted hieroglyphs listing his titles and name. He is defined as 'son of the king of his body' and among his other titles were 'Priest of Re at Heliopolis, superintendent of works, and superintendent of expeditions'.
Nofret is depicted with her arms folded, swathed in a cloak. The cloak, from which her right hand emerges, wraps around her tight tunic and reveals the forms of her body. Around her neck is a usekh necklace with strings of beads of alternating colours: light and dark blue, and red, ending in a row of blue pendants. Her heavy black wig descends to her shoulders and is hound around her forehead by a band decorated with floral motifs. Her face is quite full and has delicate features. The inset eyes are slightly narrower than those of Ra-Hotep. The nose is small with gentle curves, and the mouth is also small with fleshy lips. On the backrest, on either side of her head, an inscription reads 'She who knows the King Nofret'. The difference in the skin colour of the two figures follows the usual Egyptian practice in depicting males and females. Male figures are always ochre (sometimes almost red) while females are painted a pale
yellow.
In spite of the rigidity of the pose and the fixed gaze, these two statues reveal the artist's great skill in giving life to stone images. Even if we did not have the inscriptions to identify the two figures as members of the royal circle, the high quality of the sculptures would be sufficient to reveal them as the work of court artists.
Transliteration and Translation
From Ra-Hotep's statue
Left
[1] King's Son of his Body, Ra-Hotep
[2] General of the Army Expedition
[3] Supervisor/Overseer of the Works
Right
[1] King's Son of his Body, Ra-Hotep
[2] Elder of the Chamber, Unique one of the Shepenty(?),
[3] Great Prophet (Priest) of Heliopolis, unique one of festival, craftsman of the Ames sceptre
Nofret's statue is simpler saying
(on both sides)
King's Acquaintance Nofret.
Source:
Egyptian Treasures from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo
Francesco Tiradritti (ed)
Harry N Abrams, Inc
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