Dragging a Statue of Thutmose I

Norman de Garis Davies

1911; original ca. 1294–1279 B.C. · Tempera on paper · Egyptian Art

Thutmose I is represented here as a statue, as indicated by the men pulling him on a sledge. His black skin was initially understood to represent the ebony wood from which the statue was possibly made, but it most likely relates to the king’s deified state. Cults were established to worship kings during their reign. The cult of Thutmose I persisted for centuries after his death, a rare phenomenon, and this statue of the king is at the center of a scene depicting offerings and rites honoring him. Royal figures are sometimes depicted with a dark complexion, as the color black represents rebirth and regeneration–like the black soil of the Nile Valley.

Artist

Norman de Garis Davies

Date

1911; original ca. 1294–1279 B.C.

Medium

Tempera on paper

Department

Egyptian Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1915