
Wikimedia Commons - CC BY-SA 3.0
by Ancient Egyptian (Unknown), -2490
Ancient Egyptian This double statue of Menkaure and Khamerernebty II shows the Fourth Dynasty pharaoh standing beside his queen, their bodies touching in a rare display of royal intimacy. Carved around 2490 BCE from graywacke (a dark metamorphic stone), the sculpture stands 142 centimeters tall. The queen's arm wraps around her husband's waist while her other hand rests on his arm, a pose suggesting genuine affection rather than mere protocol.
American archaeologist George Reisner excavated the statue in 1910 from Menkaure's valley temple at Giza. The sculpture remained unfinished: the king's body is fully polished while areas of the base still show chisel marks. Some scholars believe Menkaure died before completion, leaving his craftsmen to inter the work as-is. The queen's sheer dress, carved to reveal her body beneath, demonstrates sophisticated stone-working technique.
The statue now resides at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, one of the finest examples of Old Kingdom pair statuary outside Egypt.

Ancient Egyptian (Unknown), 401
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago

Ancient Egyptian (Unknown), -1070
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
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