DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.41333#0027
The Sitting Statues of Hatshepsut in their Architectural Setting ...
for the Queen and for her ka) leave no doubt that the
person depicted on our relief is Hatshepsut. Conse-
quently, the piece constitutes the oldest portrayal of
the Queen as the Great Royal Consort, in the female
attire and vulture-hat. Yet, Hatshepsut is simulta-
neously depicted as the recipient of offered gifts and is
the object of an everyday cult. At the height of her
arms we note the natron sign bd - this forms a part
of a well-known formula, recurrent throughout the
niche-images: bd nsw.16 On the edge of our piece, at
the height of the Queen’s right palm, a dot of natron
is still visible, as are closely above it fragments of bd
and 8. Thus, the likely form of the legend may have
been:17 bd nsw 8 5 bd mh 8 5 dots of the royal
natron. This certainly points at the possible function
of the chamber as a place of sacrifice and ritual treat-
ment of the cult statue of the Queen. Hence, the only
likely location for this relief would be in the third, last,
chamber of the Sanctuary, northern wall.18 The era-
sures were made during Tuthmosis Hi’s reign, which
means that the chapel was not dismantled until after
Hatshepsut’s death. The only chamber fitting the di-
mensions of the scene of the sacrifice made before the
Queen as reconstructed by A. KWASNIC A and pos-
sibly existent in Tuthmosis’ times was later used for
the construction of the Ptolemaic Sanctuary, where the
oracle of Imhotep and Amenhotep, son of Hapu was
installed19 (pi. 3, fig. 2).
Additionally, it may be worth remembering at this
point that another sitting image of a female figure sur-
vives in the temple. The image of Ahmes in the north-
west niche of the Bark Hall is characterised by a simi-
lar formal arrangement.20 Nevertheless, it is the lotus
into several pieces. The torso, together with breast, forearm, left
hand holding a tissue, thigh and the top of the nose with lips
were left intact
16 NAVTT .1 F, The Temple ofDeirel Bahaii (hereinafter referred to
as: Deirel Bahaii) V, London 1897-1908, pis. CXLVI-CXLVII.
1 NAVTLLE, Deirel Bahaii IV, pi. CX.
18 PAWLICKI, PAM X (1999), pp. 127-128; IDEM, Deir
el-Bahari. The Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, 1998/1999,
PAM XI (2000),p. 164, IDEM, Krolewskie swiqtynie w Deir
el-Bahari (Royal temples in Deir el-Bahari), Warsaw 2000
(hereinafter referred to as: Swiqtynie krolewskie), pp.114-
117. The author erroneously identifies the image of the
female Hatshepsut with her representation as the Great
Royal Wife, p. 115.
19 E. LASKOWSKA-KUSZTAL, Le sanctuaire Ptolemdique de
Deir el-Bahari. Deir el-Bahari HI, Warszawa 1984; PAWLICKI,
MMX (1999), pp. 127-128.
flower, not a piece of cloth, that firms an attribute of
the deceased woman. Next, there is the arrangement
of light-openings that bears witness to the assumption
that the Sanctuary was in use during Hatshepsut’s reign.
The openings are located in the two preceding cham-
bers, the Bark Hall and the chapel, where the cult-
statue of Amun was housed (fig. I).21 Coming through
these skylights and passing the middle room, the day-
light would focus on the third chamber, the present
Ptolemaic Sanctuary. Thus, they were actually designed
to light the last chamber and the statue housed there.
Two sitting statues of Hatshepsut display
a close resemblance with the discussed relief deco-
ration. Carved respectively in black diorite22 (MMA
30.3.3) and red granite-stone23 (MMA 29.3.3)
show the Queen in her female form, wearing a long,
tightly fitting dress. The difference is limited to the
arrangement of hands, in the statuary form lying
flat on the Queen’s knees, and to the head-cover
(khat-wig in the diorite statue, nemes in the
granite one). The dimensions are slightly diverse
as far as the statues’ height is concerned: 150
cm diorite, 165 cm granite, respectively. Con-
cerning the throne-decorations a significant dif-
ference may be observed in the arrangement of
the sml-tiwy motif. On the granite statue the lily
is placed in the rear part of the throne (fig. 2b),
while the diorite one displays a unique reverse
composition (fig. 2a). Such placing of the heral-
dic plants would mean that the diorite sculpture
faced southwards (we may exclude the possibil-
ity that the sculpture faced westwards - it would
mean that it was turned away from the temple’s
20 NAVILLE, Deir el Bahaii V, pi. CXLVI; KARKOWSKI,
Hatshepsut Temple. The Epigraphic Mission 1996, PAM Vm
(1997), p. 52, fig. 3.
21SZAFRANSKI, Exceptional Queen, Unique Temple: Pol-
ish Activity in the Temple of Hatshepsut, in:
Z.E. SZAFRANSKI (ed.), Queen Hatshepsut and her
Temple 3500 Years Later. Warsaw 2001, pp. 66-67, pis.
8-9; KARKOWSKI, Decoration of Temple of Hatshepsut,
pp. 140-141, pis. 20-21.
22 W.C. HAYES, The Scepter of Egypt U, London 1959 (herein-
after referred to as: Scepter), p. 100; TEFNIN, Statuaire, pp.
2-6, pi. Ia; J.-F. PECOIL, Les visages du pouvoir, Les Dos-
siers d'Archeologie 187(1993),p. 19(plate).
23 HAYES, Scepter II, p. 89 and p. 100, fig. 55; TEFNIN,
Statuaire, pp. 6-11, pis. Ib-c, II, Ilia; C. ROEHRIG,
Hatshepsut and the Metropolitan Museum of Art KMT 1
(1990), p. 33.
21
for the Queen and for her ka) leave no doubt that the
person depicted on our relief is Hatshepsut. Conse-
quently, the piece constitutes the oldest portrayal of
the Queen as the Great Royal Consort, in the female
attire and vulture-hat. Yet, Hatshepsut is simulta-
neously depicted as the recipient of offered gifts and is
the object of an everyday cult. At the height of her
arms we note the natron sign bd - this forms a part
of a well-known formula, recurrent throughout the
niche-images: bd nsw.16 On the edge of our piece, at
the height of the Queen’s right palm, a dot of natron
is still visible, as are closely above it fragments of bd
and 8. Thus, the likely form of the legend may have
been:17 bd nsw 8 5 bd mh 8 5 dots of the royal
natron. This certainly points at the possible function
of the chamber as a place of sacrifice and ritual treat-
ment of the cult statue of the Queen. Hence, the only
likely location for this relief would be in the third, last,
chamber of the Sanctuary, northern wall.18 The era-
sures were made during Tuthmosis Hi’s reign, which
means that the chapel was not dismantled until after
Hatshepsut’s death. The only chamber fitting the di-
mensions of the scene of the sacrifice made before the
Queen as reconstructed by A. KWASNIC A and pos-
sibly existent in Tuthmosis’ times was later used for
the construction of the Ptolemaic Sanctuary, where the
oracle of Imhotep and Amenhotep, son of Hapu was
installed19 (pi. 3, fig. 2).
Additionally, it may be worth remembering at this
point that another sitting image of a female figure sur-
vives in the temple. The image of Ahmes in the north-
west niche of the Bark Hall is characterised by a simi-
lar formal arrangement.20 Nevertheless, it is the lotus
into several pieces. The torso, together with breast, forearm, left
hand holding a tissue, thigh and the top of the nose with lips
were left intact
16 NAVTT .1 F, The Temple ofDeirel Bahaii (hereinafter referred to
as: Deirel Bahaii) V, London 1897-1908, pis. CXLVI-CXLVII.
1 NAVTLLE, Deirel Bahaii IV, pi. CX.
18 PAWLICKI, PAM X (1999), pp. 127-128; IDEM, Deir
el-Bahari. The Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, 1998/1999,
PAM XI (2000),p. 164, IDEM, Krolewskie swiqtynie w Deir
el-Bahari (Royal temples in Deir el-Bahari), Warsaw 2000
(hereinafter referred to as: Swiqtynie krolewskie), pp.114-
117. The author erroneously identifies the image of the
female Hatshepsut with her representation as the Great
Royal Wife, p. 115.
19 E. LASKOWSKA-KUSZTAL, Le sanctuaire Ptolemdique de
Deir el-Bahari. Deir el-Bahari HI, Warszawa 1984; PAWLICKI,
MMX (1999), pp. 127-128.
flower, not a piece of cloth, that firms an attribute of
the deceased woman. Next, there is the arrangement
of light-openings that bears witness to the assumption
that the Sanctuary was in use during Hatshepsut’s reign.
The openings are located in the two preceding cham-
bers, the Bark Hall and the chapel, where the cult-
statue of Amun was housed (fig. I).21 Coming through
these skylights and passing the middle room, the day-
light would focus on the third chamber, the present
Ptolemaic Sanctuary. Thus, they were actually designed
to light the last chamber and the statue housed there.
Two sitting statues of Hatshepsut display
a close resemblance with the discussed relief deco-
ration. Carved respectively in black diorite22 (MMA
30.3.3) and red granite-stone23 (MMA 29.3.3)
show the Queen in her female form, wearing a long,
tightly fitting dress. The difference is limited to the
arrangement of hands, in the statuary form lying
flat on the Queen’s knees, and to the head-cover
(khat-wig in the diorite statue, nemes in the
granite one). The dimensions are slightly diverse
as far as the statues’ height is concerned: 150
cm diorite, 165 cm granite, respectively. Con-
cerning the throne-decorations a significant dif-
ference may be observed in the arrangement of
the sml-tiwy motif. On the granite statue the lily
is placed in the rear part of the throne (fig. 2b),
while the diorite one displays a unique reverse
composition (fig. 2a). Such placing of the heral-
dic plants would mean that the diorite sculpture
faced southwards (we may exclude the possibil-
ity that the sculpture faced westwards - it would
mean that it was turned away from the temple’s
20 NAVILLE, Deir el Bahaii V, pi. CXLVI; KARKOWSKI,
Hatshepsut Temple. The Epigraphic Mission 1996, PAM Vm
(1997), p. 52, fig. 3.
21SZAFRANSKI, Exceptional Queen, Unique Temple: Pol-
ish Activity in the Temple of Hatshepsut, in:
Z.E. SZAFRANSKI (ed.), Queen Hatshepsut and her
Temple 3500 Years Later. Warsaw 2001, pp. 66-67, pis.
8-9; KARKOWSKI, Decoration of Temple of Hatshepsut,
pp. 140-141, pis. 20-21.
22 W.C. HAYES, The Scepter of Egypt U, London 1959 (herein-
after referred to as: Scepter), p. 100; TEFNIN, Statuaire, pp.
2-6, pi. Ia; J.-F. PECOIL, Les visages du pouvoir, Les Dos-
siers d'Archeologie 187(1993),p. 19(plate).
23 HAYES, Scepter II, p. 89 and p. 100, fig. 55; TEFNIN,
Statuaire, pp. 6-11, pis. Ib-c, II, Ilia; C. ROEHRIG,
Hatshepsut and the Metropolitan Museum of Art KMT 1
(1990), p. 33.
21