Statue Of Nykara Analysis

The Ancient Egyptian sculpture, “Statue of Nykara and His Family”, was sculpted during the late fifth dynasty. The sculpture is a depiction of Nykara, his wife, Nubkau, and son, Ankhma-Re. The statue is in poor condition with pieces of limestone missing and chips on the three subject’s faces and bodies. The painted limestone shows the conventional colors for the male and female subjects. There is a clear discoloration among Nykara and his son’s bodies. The brownish red color they once were has eroded to a light yellowish color, which resembles the purposeful color of Nykara’s wife. The hieroglyphs on Nykara’s seat insinuate that the sculpture is meant to be viewed from the front view. This is also evident by the way the three subjects are facing forward in frontal view. There are hieroglyphs on both the chair and base of the statue near Nykara’s wife and son’s feet.

The hieroglyphs on the base and chair of the statue aid in describing the people and purpose of the statue.

In front of Nykara’s son there are hieroglyphs near his feet which states “Scribe of the granary, Ankhma-re”, which indicates that Ankhma-Re works under the supervision of his father who is the chief of granary. The hieroglyphs on both sides of the chair read the “King’s acquaintance, inspector of scribes of the granary, Nyka-Re”. In front of the mothers feet the hieroglyphs read “The King’s acquaintance, Nubkau”. These statements explain Nykara’s role in the community as well as the status of Nykara and his family. They were not of the highest positions but they did have some influence in Egypt and acted as acquaintances to the

king.
The statue is on top of a thick piece of limestone and has a backing behind each of the subjects reaching up to about half way up their heads. There are no spaces between the legs, arms, toes or feet. This was a way to create stability for the statue to prevent it from breaking easily and was a common technique for ancient Egyptian artists. Nykara is sitting on a fairly large chair while his wife and son are standing beside him. Although he is sitting all of their heads are at an equal height which is a technique used to create balance throughout the piece. Nykara is sitting with his right fist clenched on his thighs and his left hand palm down against his thigh; feet firmly placed against the ground. He has wide shoulders and a low waist with defined pecks and arm muscles. His torso appears to be toned as well. His nipples and belly button are also visible with his nipples visually protruding when viewing the sculpture from the side. He is wearing a short curly wig and a short pleaded kilt with nothing covering his torso. He is being embraced by both his son and wife.
His wife is standing to his left holding onto his right shoulder. She is wearing a sheath that goes down to her ankles. The dress is skin tight and exposes her curves. She is wearing a short, straight wig with parts of her hair poking out by her forehead. Their son is to the right of them and is holding onto the left side of his father’s waist. He is naked with an exposed penis, and is holding his right hand forefinger up to his lips. His hair is shaved on the left side and he has a braid that hangs on the right side of his shoulder. The proportions of each of their bodies are relatively realistic with the exception of their height and feet which appear to be too large for their bodies. Nykara’s wife has very long feet and his sons are disproportionate to one another. His right foot being thinner than his left. The son’s finger also looks too long in comparison with