Portrait of a royal wife (lefem)

This sculpture of an ideal royal wife was never intended to be studied alone, up close. Rather, it formed part of a retinue brought out onto the veranda of the palace on holidays. There, the portraits of the royal family would have been framed by sculptures of men and women carved into the pillars that supported the palace roof. Sculptures of the royal family remained in the shade of the roof, like the royal family members themselves. The artist’s choice of strong gestures and expressive facial features would have made this portrait of a royal mother stand out to the king’s subjects assembled before the palace.

Grasping her wrist, fist tucked under her chin, the woman’s face is raised, her mouth open wide in a laugh or smile. Her knees are gently bent, completing a gesture of respect. The inward curve of her shoulders accentuates the smooth outward swell of her pregnant belly. Her elbows rest on her chest, the outline of her breasts suggesting that this is not the first child she has carried. Meanwhile, the anklets reaching up the woman’s calves and the cap on her head indicate that she is no ordinary mother but a royal wife.

The artist has varied the surface of this sculpture: smooth surfaces cover the figure’s face and breasts, contrasting with the rougher texture of the body, where the marks of an adze, or woodworking ax, are still visible. The composition is gently angled, with the figure’s torso turning slightly to give a sense of movement and vitality that echoes her lively expression.