King Menkaure and queen, Old Kingdom 4th Dynasty, 2490–2472 B.C.E.
In January of 1910, an astonishing collection of statuary was found in the in a temple near the Pyramid of Menkaure. In the southwest corner, a team led by George Reisner discovered four triad statues, each made out of Greywacke. In addition to these four triads, the team also; found a dyad statue of Menkaure and a queen. The sculpture consists of two figures, supported by a back pillar. Coming “out” of this pillar, Menkaure’s head seems to be turned slightly to the right, creating the “emerging from the structure look”. The king has broad shoulders, a youthful body, and an artificial royal beard. In addition to this, he also has clenched hands which holds ritual cloth rolls. The stiff position of his body shows no signs of aging, while is facial features are also individualized. The queen on the other side of him provides a perfect female balance to the masculinity of the king by manifesting an ideal mature feminine beauty. Both the King and the Queen are seen to be stepping forward, but what is uncommon is for the queen to also be stepping forward as females were generally depicted with their feet placed together.
As for the function of the work, it is not precisely known, but it is thought to have been a sculpture that was used to ensure that the king goes through rebirth during the Afterlife.
There has been some debate recently over who the queen Mankaure is standing within the sculpture. First, it was thought that it was his wife and the position she had was a subordinate to the pharaoh. Her relaxed pose, her left foot not extending as much as the pharaoh’s, and her open hands in comparison to the clenched ones of the King, represent a pose that has been interpreted as a passive wife standing supportively next to her powerful husband. Recently this assumption has been challenged. With previous examples of history being referenced, a theory called the “heiress” was formed which argues that the throne of Ancient Egypt was transmitted through the female line. According to this, the female in the sculpture was no wife, but as one who is signaling the legitimacy of the Menkaure.
Calvert, Amy. “King Menkaure (Mycerinus) and Queen (Article).” Khan Academy, Khanacademy, Apr. 2015, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/egypt-art/predynastic-old-kingdom/a/king-menkaure-mycerinus-and-queen.
Witcombe, Christopher L. C. E. “Menkaure and His Queen.” Menkaure and His Queen: 1. Discovery, 2000, arthistoryresources.net/menkaure/menkaurediscovery.html.