Pepy II and His Mother, Queen Ankhnes-Meryre, Essay Example

The young child Peppy is shown as tiny version of a young man whilst the queen places on hand on her lap and the other on his back. In the statute the young man appears to be that of a child. He clasps her hand symbolising a gesture of love and autonomy from her yet undevoted affection for his mother. Further the statute is a symbolism of his mother protecting him This is exceptional for representing king subordinate to another human being which is critical to Egyptian art. The child ascended the throne at a very young age hence the statute may symbolize the nurturing role his mother played in that role. This is only a theory for there has been no evidence in history to support as such. Both figures are displayed at right angles to each other and it appears they could have been made into two separate statutes.

There are beautiful colours of tan and off-white marble express connotations of love and mother-like nurturing from the queen. Though the young king is the ruler of land, it appears that he is dependent upon his mother for decisions and she will guide him in the right directions because of the love she feels for him. The idea that he sits on her lap for caressing and validations shows he is dependent on her devotion to him to be a strong ruler. There is an innate beauty that is displayed in this simple statute of what God has created through the bond of mother child love. The statute is made with such great precision that little Peppy has a base of which to put his little feet so that they do not dangle about freely. This is exceptional work with finite detail.

Egyptian iconology is difficult because it is a process of events of the royal and divine. Most of Egyptian art is dated from about 5000 BC to 300 AD. Most of Egyptian art symbolizes life after death and the preservation of knowledge as such. There is no history that there was outside influence on Egyptian art.  There appears to be no consistent political history of Egyptian times and art. Peppy II reigned over the Old Kingdom of Egypt from about 2300 BC. After his father died he was forced to reign over the Kingdom even as a young boy which was not uncommon in the Egyptian history of Kings and Queens. He came to throne as a child and had the longest reign in Egyptian history for over ninety years. His mother Queen Ankhnes-meryre II actually ruled on his behalf because he was so young when his father dies. The reason he is shown as a young king in the statute rather than a child is because he had to be depicted as a King that he rightfully was. The statute represents a symbol of personal and political representation one of love and power.

The formal analysis of the statute is that Peppy II was placed in a political position that he was too young to manage hence his mother the Queen had to take over the political reign until he was old enough to reign over the Old Kingdom himself. However the statute depicts the wonderful loving relationship the mother and child shared to rightfully rule the Kingdom in a most democratic way. The mother never stepped in and took the power away from the child King rather led him to become a powerful King through his adult years. This statute is a loving representation of mother and child divested in a union of political power to work together to achieve a common goal. The relationship obviously was prosperous for he reigned for over ninety years in total and there were no issues between he and his mother in the interim.