A Statue Designed for a Chair

The famous statue of Kha is particularly interesting as a rare complete example of Deir el-Medina's private wooden statuary of Dynasty 18, showing off a fair level of quality for the burials of the time. His stance, both waiting with arms stretched along his body and stepping forward with legs, suggests an active reception of offerings. This ambivalent attitude is underlined by its discovery in situ, standing, but also leaning on a chair inscribed with offering formulae, beside tables with offerings and facing the tomb's entrance.

Kha's statue on its chair in situ (photograph from Schiaparelli's excavation in 1906, (C)Museo Egizio)

Purposefully shaped in an apparently odd backward position, the statue seems to have been precisely designed for this particular setup, opening new lines of inquiry for this statue type.

Statue S.8853 and chair S.8333 (diagram by the author, photographs (C)Museo Egizio).

Parallels

ME Cat.3099

Louvre E14319

Dimensions (HxWxL): 48 cm x 12 cm x 27.5 cm

Site: TT8, Deir el-Medina, Upper Egypt

Context: Excavated from the intact tomb TT8 by Schiaparelli in 1906

Date: Dynasty 18

Material: Wood, painted

Location: Museo Egizio, on display (S.07/V.05)