Statue of Ramesses II

The king is depicted in all his majesty. He wears the khepresh crown and holds the heqa sceptre against his chest. His transparent plated ceremonial dress reveals his muscled body. Under his sandals he tramples the Nine Bows, symbols of the enemies of Egypt. On the sides of the throne is carved the sema-tawy, the knotted heraldic plants of Upper and Lower Egypt representing the union of the Two Lands.
Dynastic continuity is expressed by the figures of his wife Nefertari and his son Amunherkhepeshef on either side of his legs. The long reign of Ramesses II probably witness a stylistic evolution of the royal portrait. The face of this statue shows great similarities with that of Sethi I, Ramesses II’s predecessor. For this reason, it was sometimes regarded as a statue of the father usurped by the son. However, neither the sculpture nor the inscription show visible signs of reworking. The statue probably belongs to the beginning of the reign of Ramesses II. In any case, it can be no later than the first half of the reign, due to the presence of Queen Nefertari, who died in year 30.
This statue is one of the symbol of the Museo Egizio. In a letter that he wrote during his stay in Turin in 1824, Champollion describes with enthusiasm “the beauty and the admirable perfection of this colossal figure (…): for six whole months I have seen it every day, and always I have the impression of seeing it for the first time. The head is divine, the feet and hands are admirable, the body is voluptuous; I call it the Egyptian Apollo of the Belvedere … in short, I am in love with it.”