44. Kneeling Statuette of King Peftjauawybast

This bronze statuette represents a kneeling Peftjauawybast, a regional king in Herakleopolis Magna, Upper Egypt. He is wearing the Egyptian shendyt kilt with his alternate name inscribed on the waist (Neferkara, ‘beautiful soul of Ra’), bracelets, and a tight fitting cap crown with a large uraeus (cobra symbol). The pegs under his legs suggest that the statuette was once fitted on a base. It may have been part of a composition with the local god Heryshaf receiving an offering from the king. Peftjauawybast was one of the Egyptian rulers vanquished by Piye (also called Piankhi) during his northern campaign. Upon his defeat he aligned himself with Piye, becoming a vassal king of the Napatan state. The ‘Kushite cap’ worn by the statuette, thought to imitate the shape of a sacred mountain at Napata (Jebel Barkal), expresses his allegiance. The short neck, oversized uraeus, smaller face, and cap are consistent with the style of the Twenty-Fifth dynasty, further demonstrating the frequently political nature of artistic representation.