The statue of Khafre from Giza (Egypt, c. 2500 BCE) is an image of unbridled power. This work, life-sized and carved from diorite (an extremely hard and difficult-to-work stone) portrays the Pharaoh Khafre, sitting immobile, staring dispassionately forward, with a falcon representing the sky god Horus enfolding the back of his head in its wings.
The sense of strength and permanence in this work is stylistically reinforced by its focus on the front and side views, making the impression very block-like, as though Khafre has just emerged from this stone and intends to sit there forever. Unlike Augustus of Primaporta, there are no voids or openings anywhere in the work, suggesting a certain level of self-sufficiency and detachment in the subject. The work is not only an image of power, but an image of an individual who is perfectly comfortable in that power, utterly confident in his entitlement. The statue was found in the pyramid of Khafre, and was made as a Ka statue, to be used by Khafre’s spirit after his death.
Augustus of Primaporta (Rome, c. 20 BCE) is a life sized marble statue of Caesar Augustus intended for public display. Augustus is portrayed barefoot, in military breastplate, his right arm raised in the pose of an orator, a strikingly handsome young man who is portrayed not only as a leader but as a god. Within the culture in which this statue was made, the fact that Augustus was barefoot portrayed him as a man in a state of divinity. The fact that he is portrayed as both young and healthy, and barefoot and beyond death, emphasizes his victory over aging and death, indeed over flaws and weaknesses of any kind. This is not a portrait of a man, but of the apotheosis of an Emperor.
Representations of Theocracy
When comparing these statues of Khafre and Augustus, the first and most evident similarity between the two is in the artists’ deification of their subjects. Both Khafre and Augustus are depicted in an idealized manner, designed to give the impression of nobility, timelessness, and divinity. These works, in addition to being highly accomplished art, were the political advertisements of their times, displaying to the public images of infallible leaders who one had no choice but to follow. They are the products of a society in which the artist, far from being a person committed to personal expression, was an employee, a tool of those in power. The creative talents of the artist were entirely at the service of the Pharaoh or Emperor, and were used solely for the glorification of these leaders. As these works were commissioned by the leaders themselves, it is not surprising that their subjects are portrayed in a flattering light.
Strength and Stone
The effect of strength and timelessness is achieved primarily through the materials used and the pose of the subjects. Materials such as marble (Augustus), and particularly diorite (Khafre), are extremely durable, expensive, and long lasting, all of these qualities adding to the sense of awe and respect in the viewer. The pose of the subject in works such as these is always controlled, dignified, and permanent, particularly in the case of Khafre, who appears to have grown directly out of the block of diorite on which he sits. Augustus, while more animated, is set in a pose of great dignity and control, arm extended as if in mid-oration, obviously a pose suitable to a leader rather than a follower.
In addition to the elements of materials and pose, one must consider what reactions a contemporary viewer of these works might have had. Certainly the resonance of power, immutability, and even threat which emanates from these works would have been far greater for an actual subject of the rulers represented in the work than for us, separated from them by thousands of years and vast gulfs of thought, custom, and belief. It is easy for the modern, Western eye, socialized into a secular society which celebrates the individual, to misinterpret these works as decorative, when in fact they were primarily agents of spiritual power and hierarchical social control.
Read Alan Foljambe's related article: Khafre and Augustus: Social Contexts and the Art of Valorization
Sources
- Bard, Kathryn A. Encyclopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt. London: Routledge, 1999.
- Janson, H.W. History of Art. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1995.
