Whenever I’m in a Egyptian gallery of a museum, I always look for pair statues. Starting in the around the Third Dynasty (2686 BC - 2613 BC) it became relatively common for Egyptian tombs to include statues of couples. What is so striking about these images is how intimate they feel. What other 4000-year-old art has these little nods to love?

It’s in the hands, mostly. I like how the an arm might drape protectively around a spouse’s shoulder. Or maybe they are sitting side-by-side, their hands resting just inches apart, almost touching. In a culture where art was governed by strict, formal rules and 'eternal' poses, these small gestures of proximity feel like a small nods to the everyday. I think about how statues were built for the afterlife to act as 'backup bodies' for souls. These Egyptians wanted to live forever together.

My abueltio and abuelita would sometimes joke about not being buried together (“Maybe I want to be with my sisters?” my abuelita would tell my abuelito, “Maybe you would be be happier at the ranch.” They were, of course, buried together. 

Some sources: Statues of sitting couples.