Arm Panel From a Ceremonial Chair of Thutmose IV
Unknown Artist
ca. 1400–1390 B.C.
Medium
Wood (ficus sycomorus?)
Dimensions
H. 26 × W. 30 × Th. 2.2 cm (10 1/4 × 11 13/16 × 7/8 in.)
Classification
Chair, Arm Panel
Period
New Kingdom
Department
Egyptian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Theodore M. Davis Collection, Bequest of Theodore M. Davis, 1915
Accession Number
30.8.45a–c
Tags
Art Historical Context
This arm panel once formed part of a ceremonial chair belonging to Pharaoh Thutmose IV, who ruled Egypt during the height of the New Kingdom’s Eighteenth Dynasty around 1400–1390 B.C. Crafted from fine-grained wood, possibly sycamore fig, the small yet exquisitely carved fragment would have rested at the side of the royal throne, its surface alive with symbols of divine kingship. Falcons, hieroglyphs, and a sphinx—motifs traditionally associated with the god Horus and the pharaoh’s protective power—remind viewers that every object surrounding the ruler reinforced his sacred authority. New Kin...