Living Images-The Private StatueEgyptian museums and collections hold a great number of sculptures of standing, seated or squatting figures that differ from royal or divine images. In the Old Kingdom these so-called private statues were usually placed in tombs. Later on, statues were more often placed in temples — in the Late Period almost exclusively so. Those few statues made in prehistoric times — mostly of ivory or faience — come from sacred sites as well as tombs. However, it is not clear whether these were private, royal or divine statues. The same is true for the even rarer stone or wood sculptures of the Thinite Period. From this one can deduce that there may well have been temple statues in the Old Kingdom but evidence still remains to be found. The tradition of private tomb statues only really began in the Third Dynasty. They were first found in the tombs of princes and dignitaries in the necropolises of the ancient capital of Memphis, especially at Saqqara and Giza.
The statues were not openly displayed within the tombs. This is a particularly illuminating fact when it comes to assessing Egyptian art. It seems clear that being seen was not the primary function of the statue. Rather, its purpose lay in its mere existence in order to serve as a replacement body, a kind of “alter ego,” for the deceased.
During rituals for the mortuary cult, food and drink were placed in front of the false door in the tomb chapel and incense was burned. When the deceased, or really his spirit, magically or ritually entered the statue, it became possible for him to consume these offerings through the statue. The statue could only perform this function if it was directly identified with the deceased. This was made possible by inscribing the statue with his or her name and providing it with individualized features or characteristics. In addition, there was a reviving ritual, the so-called Opening of the Mouth Ritual, performed on the statue by a priest. All Egyptian art, not only the fine arts, was suspended between reality and the demands of sacred standards. It was clear, even to the Egyptians of the Old Kingdom, that the sacred standards set for the world, that is, the way the world should be, were not always compatible with the harsh facts of reality. Art had to conform to the sacred norms; it had to present an ideal picture. That reality intruded, however, could not be avoided. Each individual work of art was thus a compromise between these two competing tendencies.
Where Did the Statue Stand?
Some funerary statues were placed in the tomb chapels where they could only be seen by those who serviced the mortuary cult; they were not therefore readily accessible. Typical for the Old Kingdom, however, was that the tomb statue was concealed from everyone. In King Djoser’s pyramid a chamber for the tomb statue was built whose only connection to the offering place in the chapel was a slit. This type of tomb soon spread to private mastabas. To describe this room, archaeologists use the Arabic-Persian term serdab, meaning a cave or subterranean chamber. In other tombs, though, the statues were generally placed by the walls or in the niches of the cult chamber. The magnificent tomb of Hemiunu from the reign of King Cheops has two serdabs. In the tomb of his contemporary Kawab (as in the tomb of Prince Minkhaef), however, numerous statues were placed visibly in the outer chapel. Tombs with a serdab became more common only from the time of King Mycerinus on. In the late Fifth Dynasty the statue chambers became larger and more frequent. In Giza, Rawer, son of Itisen, had more than one hundred statues in twenty-five rooms for himself and his family. Toward the end of the Fifth Dynasty, statues of the deceased and later those of servants — were placed within the tomb chamber.
This custom, which signaled a change in attitude toward both tomb and statue, finally led to the end of the serdab tradition. Moreover, the serdab is found only in conjunction with the mastaba. It was not used in the rock-cut tomb, which was characteristic for the necropolises of Upper Egypt — and thus for the further development of Egyptian tomb architecture after the Old Kingdom.
Who is Portrayed?
The basic answer is: those who were buried in the mastabas. During the reign of Cheops, these were primarily princes and dignitaries. At the end of the Old Kingdom they also included craftsmen and lower ranking officials who squeezed their modest tombs in between the larger mastabas. Mastabas were erected only for a single generation, normally a couple and their children if these died while still young. Thus we commonly find in a serdab either single statues of the deceased and his wife or both together. Children are never represented independently but rather in the company of their parents and usually on a very small scale. The children so represented had not necessarily died at a young age; at the time the statues were made they may already have been adults. The presence of children might only have indicated the desire for life after death. Sometimes, the woman at the side of the deceased is not his wife but his mother. Other combinations of two (two men, two women) and three (two men and one woman, etc.) individuals were also possible. Single statues of husband and wife could be placed in separate serdabs. Just as the deceased might have any number of single statues so, too, there are groups of statues in which he might be represented two or three times (so-called “pseudo groups”).
The statues were not openly displayed within the tombs. This is a particularly illuminating fact when it comes to assessing Egyptian art. It seems clear that being seen was not the primary function of the statue. Rather, its purpose lay in its mere existence in order to serve as a replacement body, a kind of “alter ego,” for the deceased.
During rituals for the mortuary cult, food and drink were placed in front of the false door in the tomb chapel and incense was burned. When the deceased, or really his spirit, magically or ritually entered the statue, it became possible for him to consume these offerings through the statue. The statue could only perform this function if it was directly identified with the deceased. This was made possible by inscribing the statue with his or her name and providing it with individualized features or characteristics. In addition, there was a reviving ritual, the so-called Opening of the Mouth Ritual, performed on the statue by a priest. All Egyptian art, not only the fine arts, was suspended between reality and the demands of sacred standards. It was clear, even to the Egyptians of the Old Kingdom, that the sacred standards set for the world, that is, the way the world should be, were not always compatible with the harsh facts of reality. Art had to conform to the sacred norms; it had to present an ideal picture. That reality intruded, however, could not be avoided. Each individual work of art was thus a compromise between these two competing tendencies.
Where Did the Statue Stand?
Some funerary statues were placed in the tomb chapels where they could only be seen by those who serviced the mortuary cult; they were not therefore readily accessible. Typical for the Old Kingdom, however, was that the tomb statue was concealed from everyone. In King Djoser’s pyramid a chamber for the tomb statue was built whose only connection to the offering place in the chapel was a slit. This type of tomb soon spread to private mastabas. To describe this room, archaeologists use the Arabic-Persian term serdab, meaning a cave or subterranean chamber. In other tombs, though, the statues were generally placed by the walls or in the niches of the cult chamber. The magnificent tomb of Hemiunu from the reign of King Cheops has two serdabs. In the tomb of his contemporary Kawab (as in the tomb of Prince Minkhaef), however, numerous statues were placed visibly in the outer chapel. Tombs with a serdab became more common only from the time of King Mycerinus on. In the late Fifth Dynasty the statue chambers became larger and more frequent. In Giza, Rawer, son of Itisen, had more than one hundred statues in twenty-five rooms for himself and his family. Toward the end of the Fifth Dynasty, statues of the deceased and later those of servants — were placed within the tomb chamber.
This custom, which signaled a change in attitude toward both tomb and statue, finally led to the end of the serdab tradition. Moreover, the serdab is found only in conjunction with the mastaba. It was not used in the rock-cut tomb, which was characteristic for the necropolises of Upper Egypt — and thus for the further development of Egyptian tomb architecture after the Old Kingdom.
Who is Portrayed?
The basic answer is: those who were buried in the mastabas. During the reign of Cheops, these were primarily princes and dignitaries. At the end of the Old Kingdom they also included craftsmen and lower ranking officials who squeezed their modest tombs in between the larger mastabas. Mastabas were erected only for a single generation, normally a couple and their children if these died while still young. Thus we commonly find in a serdab either single statues of the deceased and his wife or both together. Children are never represented independently but rather in the company of their parents and usually on a very small scale. The children so represented had not necessarily died at a young age; at the time the statues were made they may already have been adults. The presence of children might only have indicated the desire for life after death. Sometimes, the woman at the side of the deceased is not his wife but his mother. Other combinations of two (two men, two women) and three (two men and one woman, etc.) individuals were also possible. Single statues of husband and wife could be placed in separate serdabs. Just as the deceased might have any number of single statues so, too, there are groups of statues in which he might be represented two or three times (so-called “pseudo groups”).
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