Statue of Senkamanisken, King of Kush (Primary Title)
Unknown (Artist)
The inscriptions on the back pillar indentify this figure as Senkamanisken, King of Kush. Kush, an ancient African empire, was directly south of Egypt in what is now the Sudan and often vied with the Egyptian empire for control of the Nile valley. The Kushites ruled all or part of Egypt during Dynasty 25 (760-656 BC). Even after their expulsion, Kushite rulers were portrayed with the same artistic conventions used to portray Egyptian pharaohs, such as the tripartite royal kilt, frontal presentation, and stiff pose with strongly striding legs and arms held closely to the sides. The surface of the stone was brought to a high polish except where gold or silver plating decorated the figure’s kilt and jewelry.
Napatan Period, reign of Senkamanisken
Adolph D. and Wilkins C. Williams Fund
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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