The quality of Egyptian statuary reached its peak in the Middle Kingdom.[91] Royal statues combined both elegance and strength in a manner that was seldom seen after this period.[92] A popular form of statuary during this time was that of the sphinx. During this period, sphinxes appeared in pairs, and were recumbent, with human faces, and a lion's mane and ears. An example would be the diorite sphinx of Senusret III.[91]