Egyptian Granite Sculpture of Ramses II the Great

Ramses II, better known as Ramses the Great, was the son of Pharaoh Seti I and Queen Tuya. Early on, Ramses was named co-ruler alongside his father and he accompanied him on military campaigns in Libya and Nubia. During his father’s lifetime, construction was begun on a new capital, named Avaris. Upon Seti’s death in 1290 B.C., Ramses officially assumed the throne and soon after launched an attack against the Syrians. Although he was thought to have lived to the age of ninety-six, during which time he fathered more than one hundred and fifty children to some of his over two hundred wives and concubines, Ramses is best remembered for his monumental structures. Some scholars say that the prosperity of a pharaoh’s reign can be measured by the number of buildings constructed during their rule. If this is the case, then Ramses II is certainly one of the most important figures in Ancient Egyptian history. Among his many architectural achievements are the two temples at Abu Simbel, the hypostyle hall at Karnak, a mortuary complex at Abydos, the Colossus of Ramesses at Memphis, a vast tomb at Thebes, additions to the Temple of Luxor, and the famous Ramesseum.

While Ramses may be famous for his monumental structures, this granite sculpture depicts the pharaoh with an intimacy that is lost on larger scale representations. This work depicts a fragmented face of Ramses rendered in high relief on the left side as well as a portion of a royal cartouche that has been engraved into the right tip of the wall panel. He wears the distinctive tripartite wig featuring a prominent Uraeus cobra in the centre. From this wig rises a cylindrical headdress that appears to be the red crown symbolic of Lower Egypt, although it may actually be the double crown indicative of the unified Upper and Lower Egypt. Since the majority of this crown has broken away, it is impossible to be certain. His facial features are masterfully represented with an idealized delicacy. Most stunning are his eye and ear. This fragment was likely once part of a larger decorative scheme that would have adorned the walls of a temple or palace. Ramses II himself might have walked through the corridors of this structure and stopped to admire this gorgeous portrait as we continue to do today.