Seated statue of Amenhotep III

From the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III, Thebes, Egypt
18th Dynasty, about 1350 BC

Intertwined symbols of Upper and Lower Egypt

Amenhotep III (1390-1352 BC) commissioned hundreds of sculptures for his mortuary temple on the west bank of the Nile at Thebes, though the precise original location of most of them is not known. Statues representing the seated ruler were probably intended to function as the recipients of offerings and prayers.

This statue shows Amenhotep III seated on a throne. On the sides of the throne are the intertwined symbols of the plants of Upper and Lower Egypt, representing the union of the two lands of Egypt, and illustrating the fact that it is the king who keeps them together.

Parts of several large statues from Amenhotep III's mortuary temple are now in The British Museum.

A.P. Kozloff and B.M. Bryan, Egypts dazzling sun: Amenhotep (Cleveland Museum of Art, 1992)

T.G.H. James and W.V. Davies, Egyptian sculpture (London, The British Museum Press, 1983)