Egypt Art

Egypt Art

by Rose-Marie and Rainer Hagen

The imagery of the pharaohs' kingdom

The pyramids were built to protect the kings bodies and their treasures, essentially large safes protecting from robbers who would distrupt the mummified body.

Initially only the kings and their family were mummified however this was soon widespread throughout society. The mummification procedure took 70 days, removing organs, washing and drying the body. Throughout the procedure magical spells were also used. Kings received gold masks such as Tutankhamun's. Masks of stuccoed, gilded canvas were made for private individuals. Statues were placed in the burial chamber incase the body was damaged or destroyed, the statues meant that the body could return into and the soul would not be destroyed.


The weighing of the heart ceremony was very important to the Ancient Egyptians, if their heart was weighed and heavier their heart was devoured by Ammit, in order to stop this happening they had a guide to lead them through the ceremony, this guide knew all of the answers. The answers did not have to be the truth and from later periods of time we have learnt that these correct answers were

" I have not done any injustice to another human being, nor mistreated an animal ... I have not held back the flood waters " (page 7/8)

Statues that had Gods settled in them was decorated and supplied with food, on special festivals the priests carried the statues to the Nile and rowed the statues usually to a related temple.


The Geese of Meidum
Stucco, painted, height 27cm, length 172cm
Cairo, Egyptian Museum
(page 30/31)

Painted as a grave decoration for Pharaoh Sneferu in the Old Kingdom this frieze is often thought of as

" the climax of centuries-long artistic development, but in actual fact it dates from the very beginning of Egyptian Painted art. " (page 30)

This appears to be a natural drawing of the geese however it has been composed :

" Their arrangement into two groups of three surely is not coincidental: in Egyptian writing a plural is indicated by three lines or triple representations. The Geese of Medium thus stands for an undetermined number of birds " (page 30)

The style and the technique only changed slightly over the next millennia in Egypt, the background is made of a layer of stucco over a thick layer of clay plaster, the tempera paints were made from natural mineral materials

" black from coal, blue and green from malachite, red and yellow from ochre soil. They were dissolved in water and bound by an emulsion of glue and egg white. " (page 30)

Because artists did not sign the work so the artist of this work is unknown.


Relief from the sarcophagus of Queen Hatshepsut
Quartzite, height 86.5,cm width 87.5cm, length 245 cm
Cairo, Egyptian Museum,found in Thebes, Valley of the Kings
(page 48/49)

Her headdress tells us she is one of the most powerful deites of Ancient Egypt, the Great Lady of Magic, the protector and mother goddess Isis. The headdress is depicting a throne as this is Isis's symbol.

Hatshepsut was to take over reign for her nephew Thutmose III, she was not like other woman rulers who stayed in the background and she proclaimed her self a ruler.

" she had herself represented with a naked male upper body, a royal beard, and a loin cloth " (page 48)

I think that she has represented herself like a man as many of the people in Egyptian society at the time would not have accepted a woman as a ruler

She was a peaceful ruler until 1457 when her nephew Thutmose III took rule to protect the country from invading armies.

Her successor wiped out her statues and had her named erased from steles and temples. He could have done this because a woman ruler would not have fit with the conventions of the time.

She had a very artistic influence lasting after her reign, many statues of that time period are modelled after her

" a pointy face, slightly curved lips, and almond eyes" (page 48)

Pharaoh Thutmose III slays the enemies
part of a relief at the temple of Karnak
(page 52/53)

The motif depicts the enemies of the pharaoh kneeling at his feet. Although one arm is missing it was orignally a war club swinging high, positioned as though it was swinging down towards the mass of people.

" the schematically lined up arms and soles of the feet symbolise an extremely large, almost uncountable number. They are kneeling, their arms raised in supplication*" (page 52)

*1. To ask for humbly or earnestly, as by praying.
  2. To make a humble entreaty to; beseech.
  3. To make a humble, earnest petition; beg.

I feel like they have been drawn in this way to show the great amount of people that the Pharaoh has defeated and make his rule seem greater and powerful. They are also being portrayed as a sacrifice intended for the Gods.

The scene does not show an actual historical event but merely represents the Kings rule.

The style of the relief does not follow the artistic conventions of the time

" Some of them have their heads turned towards the beholder. This last factor was a breach of the rules. The canon demanded a face to be portrayed in profile. Showing it from the front, which must have seemed immodest to the Egyptians , demonstrates the humiliation and the deep confusion of the men at the mercy of the Pharaoh. " (page 52)

Queen Nefertiti
Limestone, height 50cm
Berlin
(page 72/73)

This bust is not a finished piece but a model so that other works of art could be created without the Queen needing to sit for them. That is the most accepted opinion, this is supported by the fact that her left pupil is missing. I feel however that the left pupil is missing as people viewed them from a side profile so the left eye would not have been visible.

Nefertiti can be translated into "the beauty that has come" and this can still be applied today because the  Queens figure still fascinates many people now.

"Without a doubt it is the striking beauty of the bust created over 3,000 years ago still fascinates us today: the slender neck, the curved mouth, the almond eyes, the wrinkle free skin " (age 72)

This work of art was very traditional to Egyptian art however it deviates from the normal by vertically elongating the royal heads.


Gold Mask of Tutankhamen
Gold, semi precious stones, glass, height 54cm, width 39.3 cm, weigt 11 kg
Cairo, Egyptian Museum
(page 74/75)

Historically he was not significant as he ruled for only 10 years as he died young however he became very popular after the discovery of his tomb in 1922.

The mask it's self is made of gold, the beard being made of glass and gold, also made of blue glass are the eyebrows and eyelid lining. Obsidian and quartz make up the eyes.

" The colours: blue was associated with everything heavenly , gold was considered the "flesh of the gods" and symbolised eternity.
The shape: the face was fitted into a pattern of horizontals and verticals. "

The cobra and the vulture on the headdress are the symbols of upper and lower Egypt.


Ramesses II
Seated statue stuck out of the rock, overall height c. 22m
Temple of Abu Simbel
(page 80/81)

Four identical statues were carved out of the stone in the entrance way to the temple, these were not crafted and then moved but carved out of the rock on location.

It is estimated that he commissioned this work at a very young age in the beginning of his reign, he was the last great Egyptian ruler, ruling for 66 years.

Inside the temple depicts the Battle of Kadesh, in the temple the scenes portray a successful battle, however this was not the case.

The scenes were once bright and colourful but now these colours have faded.

An inscription on a temple wall says
" his Majesty slaughtered the army of the Hittites down to every last man. He slaughtered all of their great princes and all of their brothers... but his majesty was alone, nobody was with him"

This was both positive propaganda towards the King and negative towards the army generals, Ramesses wanted to rule in peace so was trying to decrease the influence the army had.



The Eye of Horus
Part of a bracelet belonging to King Shoshenq II, gold, carnelian, white faience, lapis lazuli, diameter 7cm
Cairo, Egyptian Museum, found in Tanis
(page 88/89)

Although Egyptians focused on the side profile they portrayed the shoulders and the eye as a front view.

" Similarly with the eye; the eye needs to be shown from the front to portray its size or also the colour of the iris an the shape of the surrounding lids " (page 88)

the eyes has the highest rank against the other organs - many myths in which is gods and divine animals are equated with eyes

Goddess Hathor thought to be the eye of Ra

 Healing eye of Horus, the sun was also an eye of him
" when he opens his eyes, he fills the universe with light, and when he closes them, darkness is created "


braclet -gold base, thin flat bars, semi precious stones and white fiance was placed

men wore jewellry


mummy of king had 7 braclets on each arm