Kaemwaset Kneeling with an Emblem of Hathor
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Object Label
Kaemwaset was connected with the temple of Amun-Re at Karnak in Thebes (modern-day Luxor). The inscription on this statue invokes that god, as well as the goddesses Mut and Nebethetepet. It would have enabled the deceased Kaemwaset to share in the daily temple offerings to the gods and to participate in the daily rites of resurrection.
The royal name carved on Kaemwaset’s upper right arm dates his statue to the reign of Thutmose IV. The rolls of flesh on his torso are an artistic convention indicating his prosperity. The object he holds represents the head of the goddess Hathor resting on a protective Isis-knot. On her head is a miniature temple gateway, flanked by two spiral or scroll shapes (called volutes). These forms suggest the sistrum, a musical rattle whose sound was beloved by Hathor and other goddesses. The cobra shown in the doorway and two others on the sides also evoke goddesses and their protection.
Caption
Kaemwaset Kneeling with an Emblem of Hathor, ca. 1400–1390 B.C.E.. Granite, pigment, 26 1/8 x 10 1/4 x 17 13/16in. (66.3 x 26 x 45.3cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Christos G. Bastis, 74.97. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 74.97_threequarter_right_PS1.jpg)
Title
Kaemwaset Kneeling with an Emblem of Hathor
Date
ca. 1400–1390 B.C.E.
Dynasty
Dynasty 18
Period
New Kingdom
Geography
Possible place collected: Thebes (Karnak), Egypt
Medium
Granite, pigment
Classification
Dimensions
26 1/8 x 10 1/4 x 17 13/16in. (66.3 x 26 x 45.3cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Christos G. Bastis
Accession Number
74.97
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
Frequent Art Questions
Where would this be used?
This statue, depicting a man named Kaemwaset, would have been dedicated in a temple and thus allowed Kaemwaset to participate in temple activities for eternity.The stack of symbols he his holding are meant to represent the handle of a rattle-like instrument called a sistrum. These were often played in temple ceremonies.Tell me more.
A statue like this would have been dedicated in a temple allowing the man depicted, in this case Kaemwaset, to eternally participate in the ritual. The stacked symbols that he is presenting resemble the handle of a sistrum, a musical instrument.Check out the nearby statue of a man named Senenmut for what this statue's head might have looked like. They were made around the same time.Thank you so much
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