Cast of an architrave with the name of Khafre
This is a cast of a red-granite architrave made for King Khafre in the Fourth Dynasty, probably for the court of his pyramid temple at Giza.
The court was surrounded by a series of doorways and wide piers. This architrave would have bridged two piers so that the horizontal cartouche of Khafre surmounted a doorway. The cartouche reads, "The King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Khafre, son of Re." Flanking crowned falcons are the topmost elements of the king's vertically oriented Horus name, which continued onto the pier below. At the outer edges may be seen traces of the wings of flying falcons, which appeared at either side of statues of the king inset into the piers.
More than five hundred years later, the architrave was reused in the entrance corridor of the pyramid of Amenemhat I (Dynasty 12, ca. 1970 BCE) at Lisht; and probably on that occasion its inscription was deliberately damaged. The original architrave remains there, so deep within the structure that it cannot be removed.
The court was surrounded by a series of doorways and wide piers. This architrave would have bridged two piers so that the horizontal cartouche of Khafre surmounted a doorway. The cartouche reads, "The King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Khafre, son of Re." Flanking crowned falcons are the topmost elements of the king's vertically oriented Horus name, which continued onto the pier below. At the outer edges may be seen traces of the wings of flying falcons, which appeared at either side of statues of the king inset into the piers.
More than five hundred years later, the architrave was reused in the entrance corridor of the pyramid of Amenemhat I (Dynasty 12, ca. 1970 BCE) at Lisht; and probably on that occasion its inscription was deliberately damaged. The original architrave remains there, so deep within the structure that it cannot be removed.
Artwork Details
- Title: Cast of an architrave with the name of Khafre
- Artist: Ron Street
- Artist: Wayne Moseley
- Period: Modern
- Dynasty: Dynasty 4
- Reign: reign of Khafre
- Date: ca. 2520–2494 B.C. (original)
- Geography: From Egypt
- Medium: Fiberglass-reinforced epoxy resin, paint
- Object Number: N.A.1999.4.1
- Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art
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Ron Street
2013
ca. 2051–2030 B.C.
ca. 2323–2291 B.C.
ca. 2051–2030 B.C.
ca. 2051–2030 B.C.
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