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Statue of Horemheb and Amenia

The Statue of Horemheb and Amenia is a large double sculpture of the future pharaoh Horemheb and his wife Amenia, who was not destined to become queen. It was found at Saqqarah in Lower Egypt and is now conserved in London at the British Museum. The identities of the two figures remained unknown for more than a century. In 1976, a team of Dutch and British archaeologists discovered a missing fragment in Horemheb’s tomb at Saqqarah: a piece showing the couple’s joined hands. The find clarified the identity of the sculpture and linked it to Horemheb’s burial place from his earlier career as a military commander.

Horemheb and Amenia seated side by side on a stone bench, with their hands joined in the center.
The seated limestone statue of Horemheb and Amenia shows the ancient Egyptian couple side by side with joined hands.
July 2017 © · CC0
Horemheb and Amenia seated together on a shared throne, holding hands in a stone sculpture.
Stone sculpture of the ancient Egyptian couple Horemheb and Amenia seated side by side.
March 2014 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Horemheb and Amenia seated side by side in a light-colored ancient Egyptian sculpture behind glass.
The sculpture of Horemheb and Amenia shown in a museum display case.
March 2014 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Head and upper torso of Amenia sculpture with heavily lidded eyes and a large textured wig
Upper portion of the statue of Amenia, showing her serene face and textured wig.
March 2014 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Detail of the Horemheb and Amenia limestone statue showing the husband’s head and upper torso in profile, with a second figure partly visible.
Detail of the limestone statue of Horemheb and Amenia, showing the husband’s head and upper body with part of the companion figure.
© Jon Bodsworth · Public domain

Identification

TitleStatue of Horemheb and Amenia
TypeDouble statue
Inventory numberEA36

Iconography and meaning

Depicted figuresHoremheb and his wife Amenia
Relationship of depicted figuresHusband and wife

Historical context

Horemheb's statusGeneral-in-chief of the king's armies when the tomb was built; later pharaoh
Amenia's statusWife of Horemheb, intended not to become queen
Historical periodLate Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt
Chronological contextEra of the successors of Akhenaten: Smenkhkare, Tutankhamun, Ay, and Horemheb

Creator

CreatorUnknown

Discovery and provenance

Evidence for identificationA 2009 plaster cast of the fragment matched Amenia's two hands and Horemheb's left hand
Identification historyThe figures were unidentified for more than a century until the 1976 discovery of a missing fragment and its 2009 plaster cast confirmed the identification beyond reasonable doubt
Supporting fragment discovered1976 by a team of Dutch and British archaeologists
Findspot of supporting fragmentHoremheb's tomb at Saqqara
Previous ownerCollection of the merchant Giovanni Anastasi
Acquired byBritish Museum
Acquisition date1839
Current locationBritish Museum, London
Original provenanceHoremheb's tomb at Saqqara; initially thought to be from Thebes or Saqqara
Discovery siteSaqqara, Lower Egypt

Physical characteristics

PoseThe couple is seated upright side by side on a large throne with lion legs
GestureAmenia holds Horemheb's left hand with both of her hands
ClothingBoth figures wear long pleated tunics and wigs typical of the Eighteenth Dynasty; Horemheb also wears sandals and wide sleeves
ColorationOriginally painted in vivid colors, now mostly lost
ConditionGenerally in very good condition, with minor damage

Materials

MaterialsNot stated

Technique

TechniquePainted sculpture

Appearance

Style impressionConveys the serene elegance of the Egyptian high aristocracy in the New Kingdom

Significance

InfluenceInspired Henry Moore, who used it as a model for many bronze works
Comparative exampleThe double statue of Maia and Meryt in Leiden