DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.41333#0129
An Old Kingdom Cloaked Statue
ment. We find it in several ivory statuettes from
Hierakonpolis,21 in a limestone statue of the so-called
“city god”, which in reality represents rather
a queen.22 We also have, later, Old Kingdom
examples.23 According to Bin FAY, this kind of gar-
ment was typical of royal women.24 But it was not
reserved only for them - we can find it in the famous
statue of Noiret,25 who was not of royal blood (though
she was married to a royal son).
We are, however, interested in male garments.26
As already stated, our statue is the only example of
this kind of garment in the Old Kingdom private
statuary. As far as I know this kind of garment is
also not attested in the wall decoration of private
chapels. Such cloaks were thus most likely not
a popular, commonly used, male dress. They came
into fashion much later, during the Middle Kingdom
and are well attested in the iconography of this pe-
riod. Thus the first interpretation cannot be ac-
cepted.
Ad. 2
Could Nst-units cloak have imitated a royal gar-
ment? As the “original” of this “imitation” may have
served only one royal garment: the heb-sed cloak.
This kind of dress has been known since the Ar-
chaic Period in different versions, which vary in
length. Generally it is very similar to the garment of
our statue.
We know a number of examples of “usurpation”
of royal insignia by private persons. Already men-
tioned are examples of private persons using such
royal kinds of dress as sndwt or the pleated kilt with
a triangular front part. As another example may be
quoted a tripartite wig, which was reserved for
queens, gods and goddesses, but sometimes also
a private person could have been represented in it.27
21 Ibidem, fig. 3.
22 Ibidem, fig. 6.
2 B. FAY, Royal Women as represented in Sculpture during
the Old Kingdom, in: N. GRIMAL (ed.), Les criteres de
dotation stylistiques a l ’Ancien Empire, BdE 120, Le Caire
1998, p. 128, fig. 6.
24 Ibidem, p. 102.
25 Cairo CG 4 (BORCH ARDT, Statuen und Statuetten I, pp.
5-6, pi. 1).
26 The statue in Nst-tmifs tomb surely represents a male
figure - the full, striated wig partly covering the ears
was used exclusively by men. The figure is striding (and
All these examples show that already during the Old
Kingdom iconographic elements reserved for royal
or divine sphere were usuiped by non-royal figures
(this process intensified during the First Intermediate
Period). In this context interpretation of the garment
on our statue as an imitation of a royal heb-sed cloak
seems to be quite convincing.
Ad. 3
Let us presently turn to the third hypothesis, ac-
cording to which the cloak is strictly connected with
a specific function of the tomb owner (similar to the
case of the dress of hrj-hbt or the tunic with the bit
emblem). As mentioned above, in wall decoration of
private tombs no cloaked male figures are attested.
But we have at our disposal another category of
sources: reliefs from royal temples. In the decoration
of the sun-temple of Neusenu, among the reliefs show-
ing heb-sed rituals, we find representations of non royal
figures wearing the garment in which we are interested.
Among the numerous people accompanying the king
during the rituals, two figures are represented several
times, identified by inscriptions: h Uj-C and jrj ntr (or r
npj.28 They wear cloaks which completely conceal
their figures - only one hand, holding various attributes,
is visible (figs. 2,3). In some cases the cloaks have
additional, protruding front parts, but these are appar-
ently just valiants of the same kind of dress. It is clearly
the same kind of cloak in which the king is dressed.
Did/VvA/m i/ play the role of hStj-r orjrj-np• during
the celebrations of heb-sed and to commemorate this
fact placed in his tomb the statue with the appropriate
dress? This cannot be excluded, but is impossible to
prove. The title jrj-np- is attested only in heb-sed
representations29 and is absent among strings of titles
inscribed in private chapels. The fact that we do not
find it in the chapel of Nst-pnit is thus meaningless.
not standing with feet together), which is a posture usual
in statues representing men and very exceptional in
those representing women.
27 E.g. Ssm-nfr IV, represented in two statues flanking the
entrance of his mastaba (H. JUNKER, Giza XI, Wien, Leip-
zig 1953, pi. I).
28 F.W. von BISSING, Das Re-Heiligtum des Konigs Ne-
woser-re. II: Die kleine Festdarstellung, Berlin, Leipzig
1923, pi. 6 [13,14], pi. 19 [45a], pi. 21 [50b], pi. 22 [53],
29 W. HELCK, Untersuchungen zu den Beamtentiteln des
agyptischen Alten Reiches, AF 18, Gliickstadt, Hamburg,
New York 1954, p. 93.
123
ment. We find it in several ivory statuettes from
Hierakonpolis,21 in a limestone statue of the so-called
“city god”, which in reality represents rather
a queen.22 We also have, later, Old Kingdom
examples.23 According to Bin FAY, this kind of gar-
ment was typical of royal women.24 But it was not
reserved only for them - we can find it in the famous
statue of Noiret,25 who was not of royal blood (though
she was married to a royal son).
We are, however, interested in male garments.26
As already stated, our statue is the only example of
this kind of garment in the Old Kingdom private
statuary. As far as I know this kind of garment is
also not attested in the wall decoration of private
chapels. Such cloaks were thus most likely not
a popular, commonly used, male dress. They came
into fashion much later, during the Middle Kingdom
and are well attested in the iconography of this pe-
riod. Thus the first interpretation cannot be ac-
cepted.
Ad. 2
Could Nst-units cloak have imitated a royal gar-
ment? As the “original” of this “imitation” may have
served only one royal garment: the heb-sed cloak.
This kind of dress has been known since the Ar-
chaic Period in different versions, which vary in
length. Generally it is very similar to the garment of
our statue.
We know a number of examples of “usurpation”
of royal insignia by private persons. Already men-
tioned are examples of private persons using such
royal kinds of dress as sndwt or the pleated kilt with
a triangular front part. As another example may be
quoted a tripartite wig, which was reserved for
queens, gods and goddesses, but sometimes also
a private person could have been represented in it.27
21 Ibidem, fig. 3.
22 Ibidem, fig. 6.
2 B. FAY, Royal Women as represented in Sculpture during
the Old Kingdom, in: N. GRIMAL (ed.), Les criteres de
dotation stylistiques a l ’Ancien Empire, BdE 120, Le Caire
1998, p. 128, fig. 6.
24 Ibidem, p. 102.
25 Cairo CG 4 (BORCH ARDT, Statuen und Statuetten I, pp.
5-6, pi. 1).
26 The statue in Nst-tmifs tomb surely represents a male
figure - the full, striated wig partly covering the ears
was used exclusively by men. The figure is striding (and
All these examples show that already during the Old
Kingdom iconographic elements reserved for royal
or divine sphere were usuiped by non-royal figures
(this process intensified during the First Intermediate
Period). In this context interpretation of the garment
on our statue as an imitation of a royal heb-sed cloak
seems to be quite convincing.
Ad. 3
Let us presently turn to the third hypothesis, ac-
cording to which the cloak is strictly connected with
a specific function of the tomb owner (similar to the
case of the dress of hrj-hbt or the tunic with the bit
emblem). As mentioned above, in wall decoration of
private tombs no cloaked male figures are attested.
But we have at our disposal another category of
sources: reliefs from royal temples. In the decoration
of the sun-temple of Neusenu, among the reliefs show-
ing heb-sed rituals, we find representations of non royal
figures wearing the garment in which we are interested.
Among the numerous people accompanying the king
during the rituals, two figures are represented several
times, identified by inscriptions: h Uj-C and jrj ntr (or r
npj.28 They wear cloaks which completely conceal
their figures - only one hand, holding various attributes,
is visible (figs. 2,3). In some cases the cloaks have
additional, protruding front parts, but these are appar-
ently just valiants of the same kind of dress. It is clearly
the same kind of cloak in which the king is dressed.
Did/VvA/m i/ play the role of hStj-r orjrj-np• during
the celebrations of heb-sed and to commemorate this
fact placed in his tomb the statue with the appropriate
dress? This cannot be excluded, but is impossible to
prove. The title jrj-np- is attested only in heb-sed
representations29 and is absent among strings of titles
inscribed in private chapels. The fact that we do not
find it in the chapel of Nst-pnit is thus meaningless.
not standing with feet together), which is a posture usual
in statues representing men and very exceptional in
those representing women.
27 E.g. Ssm-nfr IV, represented in two statues flanking the
entrance of his mastaba (H. JUNKER, Giza XI, Wien, Leip-
zig 1953, pi. I).
28 F.W. von BISSING, Das Re-Heiligtum des Konigs Ne-
woser-re. II: Die kleine Festdarstellung, Berlin, Leipzig
1923, pi. 6 [13,14], pi. 19 [45a], pi. 21 [50b], pi. 22 [53],
29 W. HELCK, Untersuchungen zu den Beamtentiteln des
agyptischen Alten Reiches, AF 18, Gliickstadt, Hamburg,
New York 1954, p. 93.
123