A UNIQUE REPRESENTATION OF A WOMAN IN THE SCENES OF STATUE MANUFACTURE

Abstract

The tomb of Baqet III (No. 15) at Beni Hassan contains four scenes which depict different stages of the manufacture of the statues. One of these scenes, on the northern wall, depicts an artisan painting a statue in the final stages of the manufacture. Behind the statue, there is a woman, who holds with her right hand the right wrist of the statue, while her left hand disappears behind the shoulders of the statue. Because of the depiction of this woman, this scene is a unique one among all the scenes that show the manufacture of the statues in all periods of Egyptian history. The scene lacks a text or a caption that defines the personality of the woman, or clarifies her role in the scene. A comparative study has been examined here on the scenes of the statue manufacture which are depicted in Egyptian tombs in order to identify that woman and her role.

Keywords

• egyptian statuary
• artisan
• beni hassan
• baqet
• private tombs