In 1871, Auguste Mariette's workmen excavated the mastaba-tomb of Rahotep, High Priest of Re at Heliopolis, and his wife Nofret at Meidum, north of the pyramid of Senefru.
They used torches to light the dark rooms in the underground galleries. Suddenly, they saw the glittering light of the torches reflected in the eyes of two persons seated side by side in the darkness. These were not ghosts or mere illusions, but statues of a princely couple waiting for resurrection. Their eyes are inlaid with semiprecious stones, which gives a life-like appearance to the faces. What makes them look like real human beings is their perfect proportions and modeling; the vivid colors of their bodies, brown for the man and pale cream for the woman; their white garments; and the exquisite inlays of the eyes, rock crystal for the pupil and opaque quartz for the retina.
Ka-aper was one of the high priests who was in charge of reciting prayers for the deceased kings. The artist created this magnificent statue as a true image of Ka-aper through the realistic modeling of the body and facial features. When the workers of Mariette first saw this statue during the excavations in 1860, they gave him the name "Sheikh el Balad," as they thought he resembled their current "headman of the village." Another bust was found depicting the same person at a younger age.
There is also a statue of his wife. These three statues bear witness to the highest artistic ability in sculpting wooden statues.
They used torches to light the dark rooms in the underground galleries. Suddenly, they saw the glittering light of the torches reflected in the eyes of two persons seated side by side in the darkness. These were not ghosts or mere illusions, but statues of a princely couple waiting for resurrection. Their eyes are inlaid with semiprecious stones, which gives a life-like appearance to the faces. What makes them look like real human beings is their perfect proportions and modeling; the vivid colors of their bodies, brown for the man and pale cream for the woman; their white garments; and the exquisite inlays of the eyes, rock crystal for the pupil and opaque quartz for the retina.
Ka-aper was one of the high priests who was in charge of reciting prayers for the deceased kings. The artist created this magnificent statue as a true image of Ka-aper through the realistic modeling of the body and facial features. When the workers of Mariette first saw this statue during the excavations in 1860, they gave him the name "Sheikh el Balad," as they thought he resembled their current "headman of the village." Another bust was found depicting the same person at a younger age.
There is also a statue of his wife. These three statues bear witness to the highest artistic ability in sculpting wooden statues.
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