Statue of Amenemhat III
Even though this statue of a king is uninscribed, its distinctive features identify it without any doubt as a portrait of Amenemhat III. The heavy brows, prominent cheekbones, hollow cheeks, jutting lower jaw, and tightly bunched muscles at the corners of the mouth make a strikingly realistic impression. Not realistic, however, are the king’s supersized ears. Instead, they symbolize the ruler’s willingness to hear the prayers of his people. If this image had been carved in relief, the king’s hands would have been uplifted in worship. Here, however, to prevent the breakage of projecting limb...
Details
- Palette
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Select a color to find related artworks.
- Medium
- granodiorite
- Dimensions
- overall: height 0.512 m, width 0.198 m, depth 0.184 m
- Department
- Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Image provider
- cleveland-museum-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Art Genome Taxonomy
10 tags
Subject Matter
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Individual Portrait Both · 99%
The image shows a single individualized human figure, and the museum identifies the uninscribed statue as a portrait of Amenemhat III based on distinctive facial features.
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Human Figure Visual · 100%
A single standing human figure is visibly represented in the supplied frontal view.
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Royalty and Aristocracy Metadata · 100%
The museum identifies the subject as the Egyptian king Amenemhat III.
Visual Qualities
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Symmetrical Visual · 98%
The figure is organized around a strong vertical axis, with balanced shoulders, arms, headdress, collar, and garment patterns creating pronounced bilateral symmetry.
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Highly Detailed Visual · 93%
The headdress, collar, facial features, belt, and patterned kilt contain extensive modeled and incised detail that contrasts with smoother areas of the body.
Medium and Techniques
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Sculpture Metadata · 100%
The Cleveland Museum of Art classifies the work as a statue or sculpture; the supplied image clearly shows a three-dimensional carved figure.
Time Periods
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Ancient Art Metadata · 100%
The catalog dates the work to approximately 1859–1814 BCE.
Geographic Regions
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Egyptian Art Metadata · 100%
The stated place of origin is Egypt.
Materials
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Stone Metadata · 100%
The museum specifies granodiorite as the medium; granodiorite is a type of stone.
Cultural and Religious Styles
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Ancient Egypt Metadata · 100%
The catalog places the work in Egypt’s Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12, during the reign of Amenemhat III.
Source & rights
Unknown artist. Statue of Amenemhat III. Cleveland Museum of Art.