Egyptian Art

Part 1

         A work of Egyptian art, Pair Statue of Userhat and Kha, is a

sculpture of seated couple. It was made of black granite and come from

Egypt, Karnak Cachet,  New Kingdom at late 18th-early 19th Dynasty,

1319-1306B.C. It is a small sculpture that the size is 53.34 × 33.02 ×

33.02 cm. Userhat as a King’s scribe and overseer of the granaries at

Thebes, and his wife, Kha, sit together with their arms intertwined. 

       The outline is that Userhat and Kha were sitting on a chair.

Userhat's right hand wrapped around Kha's left arm. Their postures are

rigid and faces are emotionless. This stereotypical posture indicates

their marital status. Their image is frozen and shows no sigh of affection.

They don't look each other but look front. Despite the stiff upright

postures and body, the whole image is lifelike. The sculptor created that

the statue radiates serenity. That effect is common in Egyptian statue.

Both of them are wearing wigs and headdress with no shoes. The

hieroglyphic text engraved on their thighs. The couple has slight belly,

loose breast and wrinkle.

        The sculptor used black granite to create an emotionless image of

Userhat and Kha. The surface of the material is frozen,hard and coarse,

as well as appear a dark silver color. The mineral that granite quarried

on the Nile River is a type of Igneous rocks, which used by the ancient

Egyptians frequently. Granite is much harder than limestone and copper.

Indicating that the Egyptian stoneworkers had their way to deal with

such hard stone. 



       
        In the scale, the sculptor carved the scale of the torso, position,

and height with no much difference. Generally, men's body is bigger

than women and position is advanced as well but there is no obvious

difference between genders. Moreover, the statue was engraved as

naturalistic. There are not over-sized in this portrait. 

        To conclude, this sculpture could be classified as a high-relief. The

material is a granite and was left its original color. The texture of the

surface is coarse and hard. Their line and scale are naturalistic even

though the couple’s gesture is stiff and emotionless.

Part 2

        The sculpture Pair Statue of Userhat and Kha has some

significant representatives and messages in its cultural context. As a

scribe, Userhat's symbol of dignity is intelligent, knowledgeable and

important in society. Although the artist carved the portrait as stiff and

rigid by the technique at that century, the composition is naturalistic

delicately. Some signs of aging and dignity are not only appeared on this

sculpture, a vital representative of Egyptian culture is also depicted.

       There are a more realistic representatives of the couple, shows

signs of aging. They were engraved with sagging chest and protruding

belly. The wrinkle on their faces is a symbol of aging and a senior

scholar. But, the image was associated with a good life of their costume

including the clothes and headdresses represented and a high position

...