Background:

The statues were excavated by Mariette from the mastaba of ra htp near the pyramid of Senefru founder of the 4th dynasty. They are made out of limestone and were found facing each other buried until the head in the sand. There is confusion concerning the identity of ra htp he may have been one of the sons of Senefru and brother of Khufu. Both of them worked in the royal court and held many titles. The statues were found in a closed room and not in the serdab. It might have been that the statues were found buried because during this period statuary was forbidden except for royal and deities statues.

The statue of ra htp:

It is made out of painted limestone. He is painted reddish brown as usual. He is seated on a high back chair and this is either for decoration or to support the statue as the neck and the body are attached to the pillar. He is represented with his real hair which is unusual. The head is round and the eyes are traditionally inlaid. Cooper is used instead of Malachite. The facial features are well represented with a thin moustache over his upper lip. Around the neck there is a heart shaped amulet the ib amulet which is a sign of protection. One arm is crossed to the chest while the other is resting lap. He is wearing a white kilt. On the back pillar there are hieroglyphic inscriptions as follows:

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wr n pt

The great one in Buto

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imy-r kATt

Overseer of construction

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imy-r mSa

The overseer of the army, captain of expedition, chief of the archers

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sA nswt n Xt.f ra Http

Son of the king from his divine body ra htp

The statue of his wife:

She is represented seated like her husband. She is wearing a strong thick hair wig with her real hair immerging out at her forehead. Above the hair wig there is a diadem with floral motives. Her eyes are inlaid in the traditional way. Her facial features are very delicate and well represented. She is wearing a long tight Wight dress with two straps on her shoulders. The dress covers her right arm which is placed upon her chest. She is wearing a wsx collar colored in red and light black the colors of fertility and ended with beads. The collar might be of magical significance. Her feet are ill proportioned and bare. Comparing the faces and bodies of the statues we see that the faces are very well carved unlike the bodies. This led the excavators to believe that they were alive at first sight. The colors of the statues are typical Egyptian. The male is reddish brown and the female is pale.

Hieroglyphic Inscriptions:

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rx nswt nfrt