Khafre, Detail Of Head

 

Khafre, Detail Of Head

Khafre was a king from Giza who ruled in the Fourth Dynasty between c. 2520-2494 BCE. This statue was found inside his Valley Temple. Khafre was portrayed as an enthroned king sitting on an elegant but simple throne. The falcon god Horus on the back of the king shows the falcon protectively enfolding the king's head with his wings. The statue's weight is being supported by the throne he is sitting on which makes the weight of the statue even and balanced. Of course the statue weighs a ton because of the material in which it was made out of. This statue is made out of Anorthosite gneiss and its height 5'6 1/2". He wears the traditional royal costume: a short, pleated kilt, a linen headdress with the cobra symbol of Ra, and a false beard symbolic of royalty. This statue was carved into the stone rather than out of the stone. The stone used in this statue is related to diorite. The stone was imported from Nubia. The stone produces a rare optical effect when it comes in contact with the sun. In the sun it glows in a deep blue and the celestial color of Horus. It creates a blue radiance off the sun.