Details

Object type

part figure

Title

Pareherwenemef, son of Ramses II

Date

19th Dynasty (1279–1260 BC)

Materials

granite

Dimensions

overall (weight approx): 656 mm x 230 mm x 305 mm 76000 g

Description

This fragmentary brown quartzite statue was carved and dedicated to a man named Pareherwenemef. It still retains details of the finely woven and pleated linen clothing that this man wore in daily life and also a long inscription which identifies him, his career and his family.

Pareherwenemef (around 1286-1260 BC) was the third son of the pharaoh Rameses II (1279–1213 BC) and the inscription states he was the 'First Charioteer of His Majesty’. As a royal prince, he may have expected to become pharaoh himself one day. However, as Rameses II ruled for 66 years, many of his 88 children, including Pareherwenemef, died long before he did.

Pareherwenemef fought at the battle of Qadesh in 1264 BC, which his father proclaimed throughout Egypt as a complete victory over the Hittite army but which in reality was an inconclusive encounter and not a military success.

The cartouches containing the king’s name are prominently displayed on the right-hand side of the figure marking Pareherwenenmef’s status as a son of the pharaoh. The social hierarchy at the court would have been determined by the closeness of each individual to the pharaoh himself – either through family ties or friendship – and these connections were often identified on funerary monuments as a status symbol.

Provenance: Vicomte Bernard d'Hendecourt; Sotheby’s 8-10 May 1929 Lot 11: Spink & Son, London; from whom purchased by Sir William Burrell on 11 June 1948.

Credit Line/Donor

Gifted by Sir William and Lady Burrell to the City of Glasgow, 1944

Collection

Burrell Collection: Egyptian Items

ID Number

13.83

Location

Burrell Collection