25/10/2016
TUTANKHAMUN STANDING UPON LEOPARD
(JE16714 Gilded wooden statue its Height 85.7 CM)
one of the most remarkable statues belonging to the king Tutankhamun, it's the Leopard statue which having the king standing on its back, it was found in the treasury room in Tutankhamun's tomb in a black chest containing another 33 statues representing the king as various divinities, the statue is carved of wood and covered by layer of stucco before being gilded and it was found covered by a sheet of linen, here we find the king is represented on the back of an animal known for its speed , the king is wearing the (Hedjet) crown the white of upper Egypt while holding a staff in his left hand and one of the royal insignia in the other hand which is the Nkhekh flail , in order to show his royalty , the flail scepter one of the two royal insignia which appeared for the 1st time with god osiers and they got a function related to the agriculture. Because god Osiris is the god of the black soiled land and he is always represented green to represent the green scenery of the land, the Nekhkh flail was the tool which was used to turn the soil of the land. In the royal figure of the king we would notice some things like the ureas, the staff and the sandals are made out of gilded bronze also his eyes and the outline around them are from colored glass. And no body can't notice the Amarna features in the body of the king in its best phase the third phase (the modified truth). We can see his bulging belly, his little wide hips and his slim legs and of course the sandals and the ear lops
That’s what everybody can see but let's go for the further details, for what beyond this statue, for the message of its sculptor, if we looked carefully we would notice that the Head of the king slightly raised , his back is straight and his body is just stable while the sculptor made the leopard give the impression of moving. They wanted to emphasis how the king is firm and stable while he is on the back of one of the most speedster animals on the planet , this animal represent also goddess
Mafdat The goddess Mafdet, mistress of punishment and helpmate of the dead, was sometimes worshiped in the form of a leopard. Her name means the Runner. Because this statue represent an important stage in the afterlife Journey of the King Tutankhamun ,during which the diseased meets the guardians of the skies ,in the forms of humans with the heads of Demigods or animals with knives in their hands , thanks to the speed of this animal he shall pass without giving a chance for the demi gods to block his path, while the black color of this animal will makes him invisible in the dark sky of
the netherworld ,so the demi gods will see only the gold diseased passing through the gates illuminates the gloom of the netherworld sky in a blink of an eye.as the base of the statue meant to be covered of black resin which symbolize just one thing which is Death, While the king's body meant to be gold, to represent god re , in order to became one of the manifestations of Re. because king Tutankhamun is: Lord of Manifestations of Re his name is (Nb Xprw Re), the victorious upon death. Rising again like re the survivor of the every day's journey.
Finally the sculptor of this statue did the great out of a job in order to represent greatness, divinity and send a message.
(written by the Heart of Kmt Authors)
