Statue of King Tanwetamani

Period Third Intermediate Period (Ancient Egyptian, 1070–664 BCE)

Dynasty Dynasty 25 (Nubian) (Ancient Egyptian, 712–664 BCE)

Place of OriginSudan (excavated at Jebel Barkal, ancient Napata)

Dateabout 650 BCE

Dimensions79 1/2 in. (201.9 cm)

MediumGranodiorite from Aswan quarry.

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1949.105

On View

Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 01

DescriptionA monumental granodiorite statue, over life-size, depicting King Tanwetamani in a conventional striding pose with left foot forward, arms straight, and fists clenched at the sides. The figure wears a short kilt and features surface detailing at the sandals, wristlets, and chest area. Roughened textures in these areas indicate the former presence of gilding. The head is missing. Hieroglyphic inscriptions are preserved on the back pillar and base, including the king’s titulary. The statue was discovered in 1916 in three large fragments near the Great Temple of Amun at Jebel Barkal (ancient Napata, present-day Karima, Sudan), during excavations by the Harvard University–Museum of Fine Arts Expedition. The fragments were found buried near the temple structure.

Label TextExcavated in 1916 at Jebel Barkal—a sandstone mountain in northern Sudan revered in ancient times as the birthplace of the god Amun—this colossal statue is one of the only surviving images of King Tanwetamani from the ancient African kingdom of Kush, and one of the finest examples of Kushite royal sculpture in any American collection. Carved from dense granodiorite, the king strides forward in a timeless pose: fists clenched, left leg advanced, dressed in a short kilt. Traces of gold once adorned his feet and jewelry, amplifying his divine presence. Tanwetamani ruled the Kingdom of Kush from its capital at Napata, in what is now Sudan. For nearly a decade (664–653 BCE), he also governed a unified Nile Valley, ruling both Kush and Egypt as one "Double Kingdom." While traditional histories often describe his reign as the end of Egypt’s 25th Dynasty, from the perspective of Kush, Tanwetamani was part of a much longer and continuous royal line. Though sculpted in a style developed in Egypt, this statue expresses a distinctly Kushite vision of kingship and divine power. At a time when Kush had reversed centuries of Egyptian rule, its leaders crafted a new identity—one that connected their right to rule with their sacred relationship to Amun, and redefined what it meant to be both Nubian and king.Published ReferencesReisner, George A., "Excavations at Napata," Bulletin of the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), XV, June 1917, p. 30, fig. 7.

Reisner, George A., "The Barkal Temples in 1916," Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, IV, 1917, p. 216-217, 2.

Reisner, George A., "The Barkal Temples in 1916," Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, IV, part 2, IV, 1920, p. 251, pl. XXXII.

Bulletin of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, El Kurru, Pyramid 16, April - June 1921, p. 23.

Dunham, Dows, The Royal Cemeteries of Kush, vol. I: El Kurru, Cambridge, Mass., 1950, pp. 60-62 (describes the tomb of Tanwet-Amani).

Guide, The Toledo Museum of Art, 1959, p. 5, repr.

Russmann, Edna R., "Two Royal Heads of the Late Period in Brooklyn," Brooklyn Museum Annual, vol. 10, 1968-1969, p. 104, 106, repr. p. 105.

The Toledo Museum of Art, A Guide to the Collections, Toledo, 1966, repr.

Luckner, Kurt T., "The Art of Egypt, Part 2," Toledo Museum of Art Museum News, new series, vol. 14, no.3, Fall 1971, p. 71, repr. fig. 14, p. 73.

Russmann, Edna R., The Representation of the King in the XXVth Dynasty, Brussels, 1974, pp. 22-23, 51, repr. fig. 21.

The Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo Treasures, Toledo, 1995, p. 37, repr. (col.).

Duncan, Sally Anne, Otto Wittmann: Museum Man for All Seasons, Toledo, 2001, p. 15.

Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo Museum of Art Masterworks, Toledo, 2009, p. 67, repr. (col.).

Peck, William H., Sandra E. Knudsen and Paula Reich, Egypt in Toledo: The Ancient Egyptian Collection at the Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Toledo Museum of Art, 2011, p. 74-75, repr. (col.) p. 11, 19, 74, 75.

Riggs, Christina, Ancient Egyptian Art and Architecture: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2014, pp. 8-11, repr. p. 9.