Statue of Khafre Protected by Horus

This statue represents the 4th Dynasty king Khafre who was the builder of the second pyramid at Giza. It was found by Auguste Mariette, in 1860, in Khafre’s Valley Temple near the Great Sphinx. It’s now in the Cairo Museum (acc. no.: JE10062 or CG14).

It’s quite a large piece – 168cm (5’5″) tall and as the king is seated it’s larger than life size. This is quite the contrast to the only known statue of Khufu (Khafre’s father, and builder of the Great Pyramid at Giza) which is tiny.

I’ve taken the photo from this angle to show the falcon Horus who sits behind the king’s head as an emblem of his kingship and as his protector. I also like the way you can see how the nemes headdress stands out from his head and curves around his ear.