ancient egyptian art - ms. gregory

Ancient Egyptian Art

“Concerning Egypt itself, I shall extend

my remarks to a great length, because

there is no country that possesses so

many wonders, nor any that has such a

number of works that defy description”

Greek historian, Herodotus wrote nearly

2,500 years ago.

Predynastic Art

Palette of King Narmer

from Hierakonpolis, Egypt

ca. 3,000-2,920 B.C.E.

slate

approximately 25 in. high

• Rule of Proportion

Djoser’s Pyramid

• 200 feet high

• Djoser’s pyramid is one of the oldest stone

structures in Egypt and the first grandiose

royal tomb

• Purpose: to protect the mummified king and

his possessions and to symbolize the king’s

godlike power

• Underground galleries – new home in the

afterlife

Imhotep

Pyramid and Mortuary of Djoser

Saqqara, Egypt

ca. 2,630-2,611 B.C.E.

limestone

Imhotep

Façade of the North Palace

Mortuary of Djoser

Saqqara, Egypt

ca. 2,630-2,611 B.C.E.

limestone

Imhotep

Columnar entrance

to the Mortuary of Djoser

Saqqara, Egypt

ca. 2,630-2,611 B.C.E.

limestone

Mastabas

• The standard shape of Egyptian tombs

• A rectangular brick or stone structure with

sloping sides erected over a subterranean

tomb chamber.

• Djoser’s Pyramid is a stack of mastabas (a

compromise between the standard mastaba

and the pyramids at Gizeh).

Tomb of Perneb (mastaba)

from Saqqara, Egypt

ca. 2,350-2,323 B.C.E.

limestone

approximately 16 ft. high

Old Kingdom Art

Pyramids at Gizeh

• 3 great pyramids – the oldest of the Seven

Wonders of the ancient world

• Celebrated the pharaohs Khufu, Khafre, and

Menkure

• Built over the course of 75 years

Great Pyramids

Gizeh, Egypt

Pyramids of Menkaure, ca. 3,000-2,920 B.C.E.; Khafre, ca. 2520-2494 B.C.E.;

Khufu ca. 2551-2528 B.C.E.

limestone

largest (Khufu) approximately 450 ft. high

Great Pyramids cont.

• Kings of third dynasty moved permanent home

to Memphis.

• Came under the influence of a nearby city

which was the center of the powerful cult of

Re, the sun god whose fetish was a pyramidal

stone called a ben-ben.

• By the fourth dynasty pharaohs considered

themselves the sons of Re.

Great Pyramids cont.

• Symbols of the sun

• Many inscriptions on burial walls refer to the

sun’s rays as a ramp for the pharaoh to enter

heaven

• Where pharaoh’s were reborn into the afterlife

• Sides face north, east, south, and west

Khufu• Oldest and largest of the pyramids

– The length of one side is 775 feet with an area

around 13 acres

– 2.3 million blocks each weighing around 2.5 tons

• Stone quarried in eastern Nile cliffs, floated

across the river during seasonal floods,

finished, marked with specific location, then

dragged up temporary ramps.

• Originally faced with white limestone so the

eye could not detect joints between the rocks

Great Pyramids

Gizeh, Egypt

Pyramids of Menkaure, ca. 3,000-2,920 B.C.E.;

Khafre, ca. 2520-2494 B.C.E.;

Khufu ca. 2551-2528 B.C.E.

limestone

largest (Khufu) approximately 450 ft. high

Great Sphinx

Gizeh, Egypt

ca. 2520-2494 B.C.E.

sandstone

approximately 65 ft. high

Sphinx

• Most likely an image of Khafre or Khufu

• Sphinx – a lion with a human head –

associated with the sun god, Re

• Shows power of the pharaoh

Old Kingdom Sculpture

• Statues of kings would serve as homes

for the soul (ka) of the dead king should

the mummies be destroyed

• For this reason, portrait likenesses

developed early in Egypt

Khafre

from Gizeh, Egypt

ca. 2,520-2,494 B.C.E.

diorite


Khafre

• Built to reflect the enduring power of the

pharaoh.

– Compact and solid w/few projecting,

breakable pieces

– Meant to last for eternity

• Subtractive method of carving

• Hard stone used to ensure permanence

Menkaure and Khamerenebty

from Gizeh, Egypt

ca. 2,490-2,472 B.C.E.

graywacke

approximately 54 1/2 in. high

• Throughout art history, it is almost a

rule, that formality is relaxed and

realism is increased when the subject is

a person of lesser importance.

Ka-Aper

from his mastaba at Saqqara, Egypt

ca. 2,450-2,350 B.C.E.

wood


Seated Scribe

from Saqqara, Egypt

ca. 2,450-2,350 B.C.E.

painted limestone


Journal #5

What do you see?

What elements of

Egyptian art?

Think back to reading

and lecture.

Ti watching hippopotamus hunt

from Saqqara, Egypt

ca. 2,450-2,350 B.C.E.

painted limestone


Goats Treading Seed and Cattle Fording a Canal

Saqqara, Egypt - Mastaba of Ti

ca. 2450-2350 B.C.E.

painted limestone

ancient egyptian art - ms. gregory

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