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Statue of Amenemhat III

The Statue of Amenemhat III in the Berlin Egyptian Museum (inv. no. 1121) was found in Memphis, Egypt, in 1854 by Joseph Hekekyan and purchased by the Egyptian Museum in 1855. Made of granodiorite and standing two metres tall, it is one of the museum’s most notable works and one of the most important sculptures discovered from ancient Egypt. The king is shown standing in prayer, with his arms at his sides and his palms resting on his thighs, wearing the nemes headdress and a long skirt with a decorated belt. The statue was later re-inscribed for Merenptah in the 19th Dynasty, when its face was also altered and the figure coated with plaster and paint.

Statue of Amenemhat III standing upright in a museum gallery, wearing a striped nemes headdress and a flared kilt.
Amenemhat III statue displayed on a raised platform in the Egyptian Museum at the Neues Museum Berlin.
· CC BY 3.0
Standing stone statue of Amenemhat III with a striped headdress and long pleated garment.
The statue of Amenemhat III stands on a simple pedestal against a pale wall.
· CC BY-SA 3.0
Amenemhat III statue of a standing bare-chested male figure wearing a striped headdress and pleated kilt indoors.
Amenemhat III statue displayed indoors, showing the standing figure with a striped headdress and pleated lower garment.
· CC0
Back view of the Amenemhat III statue with a pleated nemes headdress and inscribed back pillar in a museum gallery.
The back of the Amenemhat III statue, showing its hieroglyph-inscribed pillar, on display in a museum gallery.
· CC BY-SA 4.0
Back view of the Amenemhat III statue showing a striped nemes headdress and a hieroglyph-inscribed back pillar.
Rear view of the Amenemhat III statue, with its striped headdress and inscribed back pillar visible.
· CC BY-SA 4.0

Identification

Depicted personAmenemhat III, Egyptian king of the Middle Kingdom
TitleStatue of Amenemhat III

Location and ownership

Inventory number1121
Current museumEgyptian Museum of Berlin

Discovery and provenance

Discovery date1854
Discovered byJoseph Hekekyan (1807–1875)
Discovery locationMemphis, Egypt
Acquired by museum1855

Physical characteristics

ClothingLong garment with a belt and fine hanging embroidered borders
Comparative style noteContrasts with other contemporary statues of the same king that show a mature face with clear signs of old age
Facial appearanceAgeless face
DecorationSolar cobras decorating the hem
PoseStanding in a prayer position with arms along the body and hands resting on the thighs
HeadgearNemes headdress
Preserved conditionFeet and left arm are missing
Height2 metres

Materials

MaterialGranodiorite

Iconography and meaning

Inscription preserved on beltThe king's throne name is preserved in the knot of the belt

History and restoration

Later reworkingRe-carved in resin during the 19th Dynasty for King Merenptah
Inscription on back pillarThe king's names and titles are on the back pillar
Post-usurpation treatmentThe face was retouched; the entire statue was coated with plaster and painted

Stylistic classification

Statue typeType showing a younger, ageless man in the fullness of physical prime rather than a mature face with clear signs of age

Significance

Art-historical significanceOne of the most prominent pieces in the Egyptian Museum of Berlin and one of the most notable sculptures from Ancient Egypt