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Sphinx of Senwosret III
Dynasty 12, ca. 1878-1841 B.C.
Gneiss, l. 283/4 in.
Gift of Edward S. Harkness, 1917
17.9.2

Because of their strength and ferocity, their imposing manes and awesome roar, lions were associated with kingship since prehistoric times; as divine guardians against evil they also symbolized in cosmic myths that place on the horizon where the sun is reborn every morning. The sphinx, a lion with a human head, is a complex image in which the royal aspect of the lion is reinforced by the recognizable face of a ruling king without losing its associations with the rising sun and divine guardianship. In this sphinx with the face of one of the greatest kings of Egypt, Senwosret III (sen-WAHS-ret), the body of the crouching lion and the human face are simplified but essentially naturalistic. The sculptor has convincingly joined the different parts by covering the head and shoulders with a stylized lion's mane and the striped nemes headdress with the awe-inspiring fire-spitting cobra (its head now missing) on the front. The actual headdress would have been made of starched linen. Another exclusive adornment of the king was the rectangular false beard.

The individuality of Senwosret's careworn face is unusual in Egyptian art, but seemingly distinctive features are typical of the royal heads of the later Twelfth Dynasty. It is not known whether the expressive lines of his face imitate actual physical characteristics or whether they may express the king's concern for his people.

The smooth surfaces of this extremely hard type of stone contrast with the detailed patterns of the headdress, royal beard, and stylized lion's mane. Notice how the sculptor took advantage of the dark curving vein in the stone to suggest the volumes of the lion's body.

Notice: human-animal combination, missing parts

Discuss: meaning of the sphinx, royal insignia, surfaces, grain of stone, contrasts, expression

Compare: Statue of Hatshepsut, Sakhmet, and West wall from a chapel built by Sety I for his father, Ramesses I (detail)

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