Statue of Senwosret III Standing in a Devotional Attitude
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.This object is not part of The Met collection. It was in the Museum for a special exhibition and has been returned to the lender.
King Senwosret III is depicted in a pose of prayer or reverence, with arms outstretched over a stiff, triangular kilt. The statue was placed in the cult temple of the pharaoh Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II, founder of the Middle Kingdom, who was venerated as a powerful leader who had restored unity to Egypt after a period of turmoil, though he was not a direct ancestor of Senwosret III. Five other statues of Senwosret III were also placed in the temple, along with a red granite stela that shows him worshipping the god Amun and a deified Mentuhotep II. The statues may have originally stood around a courtyard in the Mentuhotep temple or in a columned hall; they were later thrown into the temple’s south court.
King Senwosret III is depicted in a pose of prayer or reverence, with arms outstretched over a stiff, triangular kilt. The statue was placed in the cult temple of the pharaoh Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II, founder of the Middle Kingdom, who was venerated as a powerful leader who had restored unity to Egypt after a period of turmoil, though he was not a direct ancestor of Senwosret III. Five other statues of Senwosret III were also placed in the temple, along with a red granite stela that shows him worshipping the god Amun and a deified Mentuhotep II. The statues may have originally stood around a courtyard in the Mentuhotep temple or in a columned hall; they were later thrown into the temple’s south court.
Artwork Details
- Title: Statue of Senwosret III Standing in a Devotional Attitude
- Period: Middle Kingdom
- Dynasty: Dynasty 12
- Reign: Senwosret III
- Date: ca. 1878-1840 B.C.
- Geography: From Egypt, Upper Egypt; Thebes, Deir el-Bahri, Temple of Mentuhotep Nebhepetre
- Medium: Granodiorite
- Dimensions: 48 1/16 × 22 13/16 × 19 11/16 in. (122 × 58 × 50 cm)
- Credit Line: The Trustees of the British Museum, London
- Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art