Ancient Egyptian Art and History

History and Role of Ancient Egyptian Art

• Ancient Egyptian art lasted over 3,000 years
• Closely tied to religious beliefs and social structure
• Art forms included sculpture, architecture, literature, music, and dance
• Art played a crucial role in daily life and religious ceremonies
• Provides insights into Egyptian culture, values, and beliefs
• Honored gods and ensured life after death
• Has a distinctive and easily recognizable style

Classification of Ancient Egyptian History

• Manetho divided Egyptian history into 30 dynasties
• A dynasty is defined as a ruling family
• This classification is still respected
• Prehistory (Stone Age) existed before 5000 BC
• The Pre-dynastic/Proto-dynastic Period spanned 5500–3100 BC
• The Early Dynastic (Archaic) Period [Dynasties 1-2] spanned 3100–2700 BC
• The Old Kingdom [Dynasties 3–6] spanned 2700–2190 BC
• The 1st Intermediate Period [Dynasties 7–10] spanned 2190–2040 BC
• The Middle Kingdom [Dynasties 11–12] spanned 2040–1674 BC
• The 2nd Intermediate Period [Dynasties 13–17] spanned 1674–1553 BC
• The New Kingdom [Dynasties 17–20] spanned 1553–1069 BC
• The 3rd Intermediate Period [Dynasties 21–24] spanned 1069–702 BC
• The Late Period [Dynasties 25–30] spanned 702–332 BC
• The Graeco-Roman Period spanned 332 BC–395 AD

Predynastic Period Art

• Mainly survived as small carved stone/ivory grave goods
• Included painted pottery vessels placed with the deceased in pit-burials
• Painted scenes on pottery reflected prehistoric rock-carvings
• Foreshadowed styles and preoccupations of the Dynastic period

Neolithic Pottery

• Found in settlements with geometric ornamentation
• Tasa pottery found in Upper Egypt had incised ornaments filled with white paste
• Merimda pottery found in Lower Egypt had burnished red clay vessels
• Had a herring-bone pattern below the brim
• Burnished black pottery had ornamental strips with lines or dots
• Painted Nagada I pottery from Upper Egypt was made of burnished red clay
• Painted white and yellow
• Featured triangles, herring-bone patterns, stellar designs, animals, and human beings
• Painting technique was two-dimensional and ornamental

Tomb 100 at Hierakonpolis

• First Egyptian example of a decorated tomb chamber
• Only surviving example from the Predynastic era
• Featured groups of people, animals, and boats
• Transferred Predynastic pottery paintings onto a plastered tomb wall
• Had a yellow background over a black base
• Featured individual figures in black, white, and reddish brown
• Depicted boats as well as hunting and battle scenes
• Arranged in no specific order

Naqada I Culture

• Red polished/glazed pottery with cream line ornamentation
• Geometric and floral themes including animals, crocodiles, and hippopotami
• Often depicted with a black rim
• First depictions of boats appeared
• Female statuettes appeared in greater numbers
• Slate palettes and stone mace heads were frequently seen

Tomb 100 at Hierakonpolis Art

• Only known specimen of Naqada Period wall painting
• Depicts humans, animals, and boats
• Human figures lack detail (round heads, dot eyes)
• Figure holds a weapon and three captive prisoners
• Early prototype of ruler smiting enemies (motif from Narmer palette)
• Painting introduced baseline which later organized compositions

Brooklyn's "Bird Lady"

• Figurine from Nagada II found in Ma'mariya in 1907 by Henri de Morgan
• Has a beak-like face
• Wears a long white skirt
• Bare arms extend upward
• One of the most famous prehistoric sculptures from ancient Egypt
• Cannot be identified with certainty as a priestess, mourner, dancer, goddess, or human
• Terracotta female figurine (33.8 cm)
• Depicts a late Predynastic woman with raised arms and angled hands
• Bird-like head with a beak
• Oversized breasts
• Footless legs
• Very uncommon and well-preserved

Principles of Egyptian Art

• Founded on skill in drawing
• Though primitive, composition was expressive and narrated stories
• Linear representations in horizontal registers
• Three-dimensional figures show frontality (facing forward)
• Frontality connects to the purpose and placement of statues
• Statues were for cults of the deceased, king, and gods, not ornamentation
• Statues were in rectangular shrines or wall niches displayed frontality
• Images were arranged in registers or deliberately chaotic
• Egyptian art used scale to reflect social hierarchy
• Larger figures are more significant (king is equal to gods, larger than people)
• Kingship included standard attributes (Uraeus, crowns, false beard, animal's tail)
• Human heads were in profile with a full view of the eye and eyebrow
• Waists, buttocks, and limbs were in profile
• Shoulders were in full view
• Clothes and jewelry are all visible
• Symmetry was another principle
• Depictions included hieroglyphic texts to identify people/places and complete the picture
• Composition needed hieroglyphs for balance

Narmer Palette

• Made of schist quarried from Sinai and Eastern Desert
• Used as a ritual object instead of for grinding eye paint
• Portrays King Narmer's triumph over a foe from the north
• Combines previous Predynastic elements in a unique way
• Showcases a meticulously crafted artistic style
• Intended to enhance royal rule and strengthen the kingly philosophy

Narmer Palette: The Recto

• Upper register has bovine heads of goddess "Bat" flanking the Serekh which contains Narmer's name
• The goddess' heads have human features, cow ears, and horns to create symmetry and protection
• The second register shows King Narmer who dominates the whole scene by his size and rank
• Narmer is identified by royal regalia of white crown, false beard, and royal kilt with a bull's tail
• King is barefooted, raising his mace to punish a kneeling enemy held by the hair
• Falcon god Horus is holding a captive by a rope tied to the nose
• Horus stands on papyrus plants symbolizing submission of the Delta
• The six papyrus signs can be read as 1000 each (6 x 1000 = 6000)

Interpretation of the Narmer Palette's imagery

• Six papyrus plants may signify King Narmer holding 6000 prisoners
• Horus is the falcon that brings the king prisoners from the city of papyrus (Delta)
• Falcon symbolizes Horus
• King Narmer embodied Horus when alive
• The falcon god dominates the people in papyrus growing regions which is expressed by the falcon griping the rope connected to the head

Narmer Palette: The Verso

• Lower register shows two escaping enemies
• Second register shows the sandal bearer
• Rectangular shape represents King Narmer's palace
• Depicts the king wearing the red crown after defeating Lower Egypt
• King carries a mace and flail flagellum in victory procession
• Has ten decapitated enemies arranged in two rows with artificial beards and chiefs
• At the top is a boat, a hawk, and hieroglyphic signs translate to "the great door"
• At the center is a circular depression framed by intertwined mythical panthers
• Panthers are leashed by handlers to stop fighting
• Animals refer to Upper and Lower Kingdoms
• "Intersection between their necks indicates" unification
• Scene likely derived from Mesopotamian reliefs and Iranian seals
• Symmetry and domination of chaos symbolizes king's role in maintaining cosmic order
• Narmer Palette combines balance, symmetry, and hierarchy
• Expresses Egyptian kingdom's ideology based on the role of the king

Painting and Drawing

• Used throughout ancient Egypt from the Predynastic Period to the Roman Period
• Improved surfaces include tombs, temples, palaces, statues, carvings, coffins, furniture, leather, linen, and pottery
• Different styles, methods, and workshops were used to align with political, social, and religious requirements
• At least three skilled craftsmen are needed for producing a relief sculpture

Painting Process

• Artist sketches design on a wall with brush and ink
• Sculptor carves engravings and illustrations
• Artist paints
• Stone surfaces were smoothed and filled with plaster before painting
• Areas to be decorated were marked and sketched in red
• Master draughtsman revised drawings in black
• Guidelines were used to compose figures and scenes
• Painters would blend colors
• Thicker brushes were used
• Delicate brushes outlined figures and added details
• Paintings were created to make the afterlife of the deceased a pleasant place
• Themes included journeys through the afterlife and deities introducing the deceased to the gods
• Egyptian art ensured the continuity of the universe, gods, king, and people
• Artists depicted idealized symbols rather than how they saw things
• Elements were portrayed from the most representative angle, human torsos and eyes; legs and faces in profile

Ancient Egyptian Reliefs

• Raised relief and sunk relief as the two primary types
• Chisels were utilized to carve shapes of the figures
• Raised relief had lower background, figures protrude
• Sunk relief had the figures carved into outlines, background elevated
• Sunk relief was utilized on exterior walls, raised relief on interior walls

Materials for Art

• Limestone was easily accessible
• Soft stones used: schist, greywacke, calcite, and sandstone
• Harder stones: diorite, quartzite, granodiorite, granite, and basalt
• Stone used for statues, stelae, offering tables, ritual equipment, tombs, and temples

Painting Techniques

• Soft stones covered with plaster and paint
• Harder stones were unpainted; color chosen for symbolism
• Wood was common for statues
• Popular trees: tamarisk, sycamore figs, and acacia
• Imported wood came from Syria
• Surfaces were often painted and plastered
• Similar to soft-stone statues
• High-quality wood could be painted directly
• Wood sculptures were independent without back pillars or filling space

Walls and Grids

• Walls were covered in clay plaster mixed with straw or pure based of surface condition
• Primed walls were rubbed using sand or silica for a smooth finish
• Grid systems were introduced to ensure symmetrical drawings on 11th dynasty during the middle kingdom
• Colors were constituted to fill the drawings using brushes of different sizes
• Artists usually arranged sketches on squared grids from the early Middle Kingdom onwards
• Purpose assisted artists in achieving correct proportions and overall composition

Introduction to Ancient Egyptian Color

• Pigments derived from crushed minerals
• Binders included egg yolk or tree gum
• Expensive minerals included lapis lazuli imported from central Asia
• Minerals used for jewelry and inlay, especially lapis lazuli
• Turquoise pigment used for gluing down gold leaf

Colors and Minerals

• Carbon for BLACK
• Limestone for WHITE
• Copper oxide (Malachite) for GREEN
• Oxides of iron (Haematite) for RED and YELLOW
• Diluted colors with water, egg-white, or vegetable gum binders
• Applied with palm fiber brushes

Color Symbolism

• White: cleanliness, purity, sacredness, priestly costumes
• Black: death, night, underworld, afterlife, resurrection, rebirth (kmt - "the black land")
• Red: renewal, regeneration, cosmic threat, fire, blood, Egyptian deserts, Seth (god of evil/chaos)
• Blue: water and sky, heavens, primeval waters in mythology
• Yellow: sun color, life-giving regenerative properties, eternal and indestructible, gold substitute
• Green: vitality, vegetation, freshness, growth, life, resurrection

Mixed Colors

• Grey (white and black)
• Brown (red and black)
• Pink (red and white)
• Orange (red and yellow)
• Created by mixing natural materials (ores) with sticky liquid (egg white or gum)
• Stones were smashed to a powder
• Mixed with egg white to make a thick paste
• Palm reeds were used as brushes
• Scene was colored, dried, and polished with beeswax

Old Kingdom Painting and Drawing

• Tombs decorated with daily-life scenes of home, military, hunting, and ceremonies
• Mastabas of Meydum included reliefs and painted pictures
• Geese of Meydum recovered from Nefermaat and Atet's tomb
• Represented sons of the deceased using a clap net shut over a pool covered with birds
• Also the essence of later country life depictions
• Figures were deeply incised
• Depressions filled with colored paste
• Gave shiny appearance and protection
• However, abandoned as pigment flaked off easily

Painting and Drawing Conventions

• Uniform outline
• Frontality
• Symmetry in representations
• Order and balance
• Symbolism
• Proportion achieved through a grid shape in Middle Kingdom
• Creatures represented from the best viewed angle
• Profile for face, nose, lips, legs, and hands
• Frontal for torso, but abdomen in ¾ view
• Unusual feet - both show big toe
• Two-dimensional (no depth)
• The Full coverage of space with Gods and royalty larger
• Colours used for specific objects: dark red for men, pale cream for women, and green for trees
• Transparency in water
• Fish can be seen in rivers
• Offering tables have contents layered on top
• Artists represented servants and low-ranked people more freely
• Mixed inscription with scenes
• Mixed humans with animals
• Naked children had index finger in mouth, sidelock of hair
• Egyptian art remained stable over 5000 years maintained levels of basic conventions, quality of observation and style

Egyptian Sculpture

• Evolved to represent gods, kings, and queens
• Massive statues represent gods and famous rulers
• Statues gave eternal life and enabled observation
• Strict conventions were followed (male vs. female statues), seated statues hands are placed and adherence to frontality
• Specific rules determined appearance of god

Sculpture Categories

• Sculpture in the round (Statuary)
• Relief Sculpture
• High or raised relief (bas-relief): lowered background, raised figures/inscriptions
• Used for high quality work with dim lighting
• Deteriorated easily due to weather, especially on soft stone and limestone
• However, examples exist on hard stone
• Sunken Relief: Deeply incised outlines/drawings
• Commonly seen on monuments created from granite, alabaster, and quartzite

Statue Positions

• Standing: striding or standing together
• Seated: on a throne or block, cross-legged, or squatting
• Kneeling
• Prostrating
• Recumbent animal position (ex: Sphinx)

Sculpture Material

• Ivory, clay, wood, metals, and stone used which Stone was favored due its accessibility and timeless, permanent effect. Would may also be painted
• Marble
• Eyebrows and eyelashes made up of Black carbon paste
• Black carbon or green malachite as eye liners
• White of the eye used Quartzite, Quartz or Crystallime and Red or black used corners
• The Iris used Rock crystal and pupil used black carbon or Obisidian

Wooden Statues

• An innovation in of the Old Kingdom when the statue
• Composites - several joined parts, of the priest Kaper, better known as the statue of Sheikh el Balad(mayor of Village Statue
• Block statue were a type of sculpture introduced that became popular in the Middle Kingdom where individuals were in a compressed, Squatting position or were wrapped with a clock
• Reasons why they were made was for mass production, they were easy to make and in order to add descriptions to all sides

Egyptologists belief

• Believe they have a rebirth connotation with religious meaning
• The could may be a symbol of rebirth
• They vary based on the position and individual and material in which their are made

Servant Statues

• Represent servants in tasks and actions, place in chambers
• King statues more formal and standing or sitting
• Kings try to stand and sit to conserve and reduce weak points
• The are not in good conditions
• Free moment, lively
• Colors of men are white or light
• The are very clumsy

Statuette examples

• Women brewing beer or grinding grain
• Man making pottery of plucking goose

Royal Sculpture

• Had lots of functions propaganda, religious commemoration, used during Dynasty to Roman Times
• Found in private and public
• Made out of wood stone, and metal
• The king either stood, prostrated or sat

Royal Statues

• Often kneeing and have spherical shapes
• Gods put their hands on crown and hand
• A Sphinx is half man half animal, the kind body is human, but has a sphinx Lion body

Royal Portraits

• Dynastic art had limited and naturalism and mostly during the AMAMA ear as an example
• Kings are rigid and don’t show emotions
• Men will have a powerful jaw or chin
• Gods put there hands on shoulders

Old Kingdom Statue Facts

• Size = life size and idealized
• The kind has divine statue, high quality or durable
• 3- Djoser’s
• During four kings could be figures and have high authority
• Khafre established order protects by being sphinx
• The kings have divine statues high proportion