Archaeological Museum of Bologna

The statue depicts one of the best-known rulers of the 13th dynasty, Neferhotep I, under whose reign the north of Egypt first fell under the control of foreign princes, the Hyksos. Neferhotep is seated on a cubic throne with a low back; his hands are resting on his thighs and his legs are slightly splayed.

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The archaic pleated skirt (shendit) and the linen headdress with parallel bands of colour (nemes), with the uraeus at the front, allow us to identify him as the ruler of Egypt, as do the cartouches, bearing his first two names, placed by his legs. The two inscriptions holding the cartouches are a dedication to the crocodile god Sobek of Shedet. Consequently, the statue may have been inside the temple consecrated to this deity in the city of Shedet, now Medinet el Fayyum.

Provenance: Fayum (?). University Collection
Datation: 13th dynasty, reign of Neferhotep I (c. 1759–1640 BC)
Material: microgabbro
Dimensions: height cm 35
Inventory #: EG 1799