History presents several pioneers who overcame social barriers to leave a mark in the world. Arts play an important role in presenting some of these pioneers to the modern world. One such pioneer was Hatshepsut, a powerful woman who ruled as Pharaoh of Egypt in the 15 th century BCE. The Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut generally, including the Large Kneeling Statue of Hatshepsut has immortalized the achievements of Hatshepsut. Being a pioneer sometimes comes with an exponentially high cost, even posthumously. Indeed, Hatshepsut’s successor went out of his way to destroy her mortuary temple and its treasures (Roehrig, Dreyfus Renée & Keller, 2005). Despite the destructive efforts, some of the contents of the mortuary, including the large kneeling statue survived to tell the story of the pioneer Lady Pharaoh.
From the perspective of gender, the Large Kneeling Statue of Hatshepsut is a paradox. It has the title of a woman, but from a careful evaluation, almost everything about it is masculine. The sculpture captures the image of an Egyptian Pharaoh kneeling down and holding a pot on each hand (Khan Academy, n.d.). Almost everything about the image looks masculine. The feet are large and with strong muscular legs. The hands have thick forearms and longs fingers, another masculine attribute. The dressing is similar to ancient Egyptian male Pharaoh dressing including the headgear. Finally, even the face has masculine features including an augmented beard (Khan Academy, n.d.). If the statue got a masculine name, there would be no reason to question it. Conversely, the statue deserves commendation based on the advanced handwork involved. Although it is made of granite, a hard form of stone, the engraving work depict careful and precise details, which reflect meticulous work by an expert.
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The context of the Large Kneeling Statue of Hatshepsut is that of a woman in a man’s world who has to present herself as a man in order to fit. It also reflects a woman who is strong enough to raise her status to fit that of her masculine peers. It is important to note that women of high birth had a relatively high level of gender parity according to Khalil et al., (2017). However, gender parity did not extend to becoming a Pharaoh. As indicated in Khan Academy (n.d.), women could rise to the position of regency, but not become Pharaoh. For Hatshepsut to claim her place as a Pharaoh substantively, she had to present herself as a man, as reflected in the Statue. Furthermore, the kneeling position of the statue can be explained using Egyptian religion. As indicated by Khan Academy (n.d.), Pharaohs may have been deities themselves, but they also worshipped higher deities. In the statue, Hatshepsut is presented in a moment of worship with the two pots in her hands representing sacrifices.
Unfortunately, the Large Kneeling Statue of Hatshepsut and her mortuary temple where her subjects reverently placed her remains after her demise did not last. Several years later, her male successor ordered the destruction of the temple and everything in it (Roehrig, Dreyfus Renée & Keller, 2005). Among the object destroyed included several granite statues including the Large Kneeling Statue of Hatshepsut. Fortunately, the temper was hewn out of solid rock, and while the statues were made of solid granite. In the early 20 th century, archaeological used to collect broken pieces of the statues and piece them together. A few parts of the statues are still missing, but the primary artwork remains. The longevity of the statues despite a concerted effort to destroy them pays further homage to the achievements of Pharaoh Hatshepsut.
References
Khalil, R., Moustafa, A. A., Moftah, M. Z., & Karim, A. A. (2017). How knowledge of ancient Egyptian women can influence today’s gender role: does history matter in gender psychology?. Frontiers in psychology , 7 , 2053.
Khan Academy. (n.d.). Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut and Large Kneeling Statue, New Kingdom, Egypt. Retrieved from https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/egypt-art/new-kingdom/v/mortuary-temple-of-hatshepsut-and-large-kneeling-statue-new-kingdom-egypt
Roehrig, C. H., Dreyfus Renée, & Keller, C. A. (2005). Hatshepsut from queen to pharaoh . New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art.
