Senenmut kneeling with Sistrum

Senenmut was an 18th Dynasty ancient Egyptian architect and government official who advised in the reign of Queen Hatshepsut and King Thutmose III. His name translates literally as Mother's brother. In this sculpture, he is depicted in the classic kneeling pose known since the Fourth Dynasty (ca. 2625-2500 BC). Old and Middle kingdom kneeling statues show a subject with his hands resting on his thighs or holding a pair of tiny round vessels. The sculptural form of a kneeling man holding an intricate symbolic image first appeared in statues of Senenmut and continued for hundreds of years. Perhaps this new type of statue was the product of Senenmut's imagination, as interpreted by a skilled and receptive artist. Photography and photogrammetry by Timothy Kendall, Bryan Whitney, Geoff Kornfeld, and Zhejiang University.