Egypt fully lived up to its title ‘Land of the Pharaohs’; the god-kings of Egypt were the centre of gravity for the entire kingdom. They were commander-in-chief, the highest priest of all the cults, the supreme judicial authority, and the ultimate source of all laws. Just as, at the beginning of time, the creator-god Ptah had brought all things into being simply by speaking their name, so too was Pharaoh able to make things happen with simply a movement of his lips or a stroke of his reed pen. A much later document, dating to the reign of Cleopatra VII, expresses this elegantly: at the bottom of a dull legal text, the legendary queen enacted it with the simple Greek word ginesthoi, ‘make it so!’ (Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung P.25239). But in a kingdom as vast as Egypt, Pharaoh could not carry out all of his functions alone. He therefore employed a complex and extensive bureaucracy, administered by the viziers of Upper and Lower Egypt, which executed his functions on his behalf in the various corners of his Empire alongside the priests and generals. These officials, often appointed due to their proximity to Pharaoh himself, became notable in their own right, and were commemorated with monuments which, while respectfully less grand than those of the Kings, were nonetheless remarkable for their craftsmanship and elegance.

This New Kingdom figure is typical of the kinds of portraits which commemorated high- and middle-ranking officials. It depicts an unnamed individual – his name and titles probably featured on the now-lost base – in the traditional striding pose: fists clenched, arms held firmly by his side, and with his left foot forwards. This pose was already some 2,000 years old by the time that this statue was produced, and had been a favourite mode of representation for Pharaoh and commoner alike. He bears the soft musculature esteemed of Egyptian men, less toned and sinewy than in the Western ideal, which alluded both to his athleticism, but also to his wealth. Being well-fed in Egypt was a sign of being in Pharaoh’s favour, and so the very slight belly of this figure alludes not to a lack of physique, but rather to his status high up the Egyptian hierarchy. He wears the shendyt (also known as shenti), a kind of short kilt associated with higher-ranking Egyptians, which was differentiated from the kilts of the lower classes by the arrangement of pleats, and the front apron which hangs down between the legs. He also wears a double-layered or duplex wig, in which a straight upper layer rests on top of a full and curly (rendered in sculpture by small rectangles) lower layer. This was the primary wig worn by Egyptians of the Eighteenth Dynasty, and is well-attested among depictions of noblemen from the period. For example, Anen, the brother-in-law of Amenhotep III, is depicted in such a wig in his elegant memorial statue (Museo Egizio, Turin 5484), as is Ahmose Patjena, chief scribe of the Temple at Karnak (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 1972.359).

The dating of this statue is made somewhat easier by the presence of an inscription on the back pillar. Each Pharaoh had five names, known as the royal titulary, which were given to him on his birth. This inscription lists the ‘throne name’ Nebma’atra and the Son of Ra (or birth) name Amenhotep Ruler-of-Thebes (hqa Wast); these are the titles of Amenhotep III, one of the most significant Pharaohs of the New Kingdom, and one of only two Egyptian kings known as ‘the Great’. His relatively long reign (1388 BC – 1351 BC) was a period of great stability and economic prosperity in Egypt. This enabled Amenhotep to embark on one of the most spectacular building programmes envisaged by any Pharaoh. His many additions to temples up and down Egypt included an entirely new architectural concept, the open courtyard for the worship of the sun. In opening up sun-worship in his temples, Amenhotep hinted towards the radical (if short-lived) religious reforms of his son, Amenhotep IV – the legendary king who renamed himself Akhenaten in veneration of the sun-disk (Aten), and who abandoned the worship of the vast traditional pantheon in favour of sun-worship alone. While a number of officials from the reign of Amenhotep III are known by name, the identity of the official depicted in the Barakat portrait remains unknown. His narrow eyes, broad nose, and full lips do, however, hint towards a Nubian ethnic identity. It is conceivable, then, that he was involved in the administration of that country – a vassal state of Egypt – working within the offices of the viceroy, Merymose. Three named officials from his Nubian administration are known from the sources: Amenemopet, Huwy, and Nakhtu.

Inscription reads: ‘The good god, Lord of the Two Lands, he of the sedge and the bee, Nebma’atra, Son of Ra Amenhotep Ruler-of-Thebes’.