Statue of Hatshepsut Seated Essay Example

Statue of Hatshepsut Seated The seated statue of Hatshepsut is dated around ca. 1473-1458 B.C. around the 18th dynasty in Deir el-Bahri, Upper Egypt. This statue is made entirely out of indurated limestone and has a height of 195 cm, width of 49 cm, and diameter of 114 cm. Many statues like this were found in her mortuary temple that has been ransacked and destroyed by bandits and pharaohs. I consider this statue to be in very bad condition because of its age and the history behind it. From first glance I noticed the statue has significant damage in many places. There are noticeable chips in the headdress, nose, and left eyebrow. The left hand placed upon left knee has completely fallen off while half of her right arm is missing. The seat that Hatshepsut sits upon is in bad condition as well, many pieces on the sides and bottom of the throne have already crumbled off making some parts of the hieroglyphics unreadable but overall still in a better condition than Hatshepsut herself. Something else I found out while looking at the statue was that there were hints of colored pigments in the hieroglyphics and the headdress as well. Many of these pigments have long since faded away but there still exist traces of these colorations on specific parts of the statue. The back of the headdress for example showed traces that it was originally painted in series of yellow and blue pigments; the hieroglyphics also has indications of pigments themselves. The statue depicts Hatshepsut sitting upright very rigidly as a king; this type of structure is very common with other traditional Egyptian sculptures depicting pharaohs. Her legs are pressed together, back straight up in a 90 degree angle, and her hand is placed upon her legs close to her knees. The statue of Hatshepsut Seated shows Hatshepsut in ceremonial attire, she wears the headdress worn by many pharaohs before her. To me her facial expressions show a sense of dignity, pride, and femininity. She is wearing a skin