egyptian sculpture

8/9/2019 Egyptian Sculpture

1/30

EGYPT N S ULPTURES

The chief glory of Egyptian art lies in theportrait statues recovered from thepyramids, funerary temples and tombs.

Mycerinus accompanied by his queen


2/30

The sculptor prepared the statue by drawing itsfront and side views on the faces of the rectangular block and then chiseled or cut inward until theseviews met.

Bodies are well proportionate and powerfully built.

Face suggests individual traits - rest of the bodytotally impersonal.

While many statues are idealized, it seems thatquite a few of the ancient Egyptian artists attemptedto render their subjects as faithfully as they could.

A magnificent vessel for the spirit!


3/30

Among the ancient Egyptian sculptors most famoustoday is Thutmose, who had an atelier at Akhetatenand created many works.

Thutmose was part of an ancient tradition of humanizing statues


4/30

Purpose

The portraits survived to this day, had religious,funerary purposes.

Served to immortalize the dead, just as themummification of the body was supposed to.

Statues of pharaohs represented more than just theman - embodying the idea of divine kingship.

Generally carved from harder material than statues of ordinary mortals, carved for eternity.

The artists tried to express how the pharaoh wantedto be seen and remembered - or at least that is howwe interpret it:

The worrying father of his people, Senusret III


5/30

Towering over ordinary mortals, Ramses II

The role of the painter and the sculptor (sanx)was to help in the continued existence of thedead, sanx meaning to make come alive.

In the beginning they served only thepharaohs, but later these artisans began

portraying nobles, officials and their families asearly as the Old Kingdom.

Opening of the mouth ceremony To return to the deceased the use of his organsin the Afterlife. He had to be able to feedhimself, recite magical spells, give commandsand see.


6/30

STRICTLY LAID DOWN APPEARANCE OF EVERY EGYPTIAN GOD:Horous , the sky God, had to be shown as a falcon or with a falcons head

Anubis , the God of the funeral rites, as a jackal or with a jackals head

Anubis weighing a dead mans heartAnubis


7/30

Status of the Artisans:

Craftsmanship varied widely throughout the country and history.

Provinces had generally less gifted artists than the capital, where the kingresided and power and wealth were concentrated.

Artists were not viewed as some special geniuses above normal mankind,but excellence was recognized and rewarded.

Identity of the artists is generally unknown except for afew that we know.

They appear to have worked in workshops, quite possibly

dividing the labour among themselves according to their abilities.


8/30

Images are frequently identified by inscription. Resemblance with the depicted was notnecessary, though often attempted in statuary and to a lesser extent in paintings.

How important resemblance was can be estimated by -comparing portraits of the same person by different artists

Amenhotep III


9/30

How important resemblance was can be estimated by -comparing figures belonging to the same group, where the differences between theindividuals should be noticeable:

Eyes inlayed with shining quartz or shells etc to make it look as alive as possibleNofret and Rohtep


10/30

Uncertainties : by likening physical remains to contemporary depictions

Difficulties : kings re-used old statues, one person might be buried with the funeralmask or sarcophagus of another, and mummies are still wrongly identified at times.

Tutankhamen as child, as king, his death mask, a modern reconstruction


11/30

Statues of figures with almost identicalfeatures like the ones may point to theunimportance of resemblance

May point to a lack of ability on thepart of the artist

Or to family ties between the partnersin a society where marriages betweenclose clan members or siblings wasnot frowned upon.


12/30

Infirmities and old age are rarely shown. Mostimages are glowing examples of prosperity,youth, and good health.

Relative sizes of persons in group depictions:according to importance - servants aredepicted smaller than their masters

natural differences - husbands are taller thanwives, children much smaller, often to anunnatural degree

Colours Men in a tint of redOr darker skin tones than womenWomen in a tint of Yellow


13/30

The classical posture, during the Old Kingdom, is rigid, facing straight ahead, armsheld close to the body, standing or pacing, sitting, more rarely kneeling or squatting -perhaps mostly the result of the stone working techniques of the day.

Ankh seated with hands

clasped,IIIDynastyNi-ka-re, his wife and their daughter Amenemhet III


14/30

Wooden statues, where limbs could be added and the basic block form was notadhered to, were more animated.

StoneWood


15/30

Representations are realistic

Relative sizes and positions of body parts are natural,

though rarely very individualized.

The Seated Scribe

Bust of Amenemhet

The faces are, on the better statues at least, even if oftenidealized, individual and recognizable .


16/30

Diorite Nenkheftka

Arms are generally kept closeto the body

One resting on the thigh whilethe other over knee in seatedstatue

Hanging down by the side inupright statues.


17/30

The body proportions of children, their relative head and limb sizes, are oftenunnaturally similar to those of adults.

Dwarfs in most cases have been renderedmore faithfully


18/30

Block statues representing squatting figures are often inscribed.Only the head receives realistic treatment.

Varying degrees of abstraction: At times feet are well defined while arms have merged while at times the body andlimbs completely fused together.

Here the Egyptian sculptures Cubic view of the human appears clearly.


19/30

Mycerinus accompanied by his queen, bothhaving their left foot placed forward, yet thereis no hint of a forward movement.

The sculptor very well contrasts the bodystructures of the Male and Female figures.

Males have their chest bare, are stout, wearingonly a small skirt

Females wear tight gowns and wigs

Egyptian sculptures (stone) are not completely

three dimensional in nature but a form of veryhigh relief sculpture since attached to the stoneslab from the backside. Cannot standindependently without an external support.


20/30

Less than ! the of the body isimmersed in the stone.

Except for the portrait rest of the bodyhas absolute impersonal traits.

The Portraits are very much individualand pronounced

Hands on sides (With closed fist)

Left foot is slightly forward (as if itsmoving)

Bodies impersonal in character but theportraits are pronounced

Figures sitting on the throne shall haveone arm resting on their knees whileother on chest.


21/30

Once the artist had masteredall these rules, no onewanted anything different; noone wanted or asked him tobe original.

On the contrary he wasprobably considered the bestartist who could make hisstatues most like theadmired ones of the past.

So it happened that in thecourse of three thousandyears or more Egyptian artchanged very little.

Queen Nefertiti


22/30


23/30

Memi and Sabu 4 th Dynasty Prince Tjau

Pepi I kneeling

Headrest


24/30

Hemiunu seated


25/30

Scribe

Butcher

Beer maker


26/30

Tutenkhamens back panel throne

Tutenkhamens Head res t

Pallet

Mummified cat


27/30

The Temple of Hathor


28/30


29/30

Abydos, Seti


30/30

Light in the Tomb of Kagemni, Saqqarah Horus of Kom Ombo

egyptian sculpture

Documents