The Colossal Head

The Colossal Head

When we think of ancient Egyptian art, we think of deteriorating stone statues, bits and pieces of old architecture, and faded paintings of animals in dark caves and caverns. All of these ancient ruins are part of what shaped Egyptian culture back in the times of Dynasties. Their artwork not only revealed so much of their religion, rituals, and culture, but it also served as a basis for developing and advancing art.

The Colossal Head, found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, was one of the many early sculptures of Egypt. It came from the late Third or early Fourth Dynasty (2600-2530 B.C.E.). It's no more than two feet high and is made of Red Granite stone. The face of the sculpture has a fleshy, full look to it and most of the features are very blunt, giving it a very healthy, powerful appearance. The eyes are empty as are the eyes of most ancient sculptures so as not to give them any particular focus or expression, and they are styled with regular upper and lower curves, making them semicircular. The mouth is long and fine-lipped which is typical of Fourth Dynasty kings. It curves neither up nor down, showing no emotion whatsoever, creating a very vacant, placid stare. The Seated Statue of Gudea and The Female Head from Uruk are just a couple of other statues with the same empty, expressionless stare. However, the rest of the features of the sculpture and the thick neck are more like images from the Third Dynasty. The tops of the ears and the tip of the nose have been broken off either with carelessness or with time, both of which cause the damage of many ancient sculptures. The statue of Senmut with Princess Nefrua is another of the many sculptures that had been broken over time. Although it has not been proven, the sculpture has been identified as King Huni who best fits the style of this image of an early Old Kingdom Pharaoh. This particular sculpture matches the description of so many others, almost like a generic pattern. Nearly every sculpture from the Third and Fourth Dynasties has the bold facial features, the vacant eyes, and the emotionless face. They were never intended to impress, but to simply be a devotion to a higher power or ruler. While each statue is always slightly different than the next, they seem to all fall into the same category and have the same style, always very modest and usually reli...

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...e shaped and given a smooth finish by rubbing rock on rock, an abrasive. For gouging and digging, artists used a drill tipped with extremely hard stone and a mounted by a rod weighted down with bags of small stones and rotated by a handle. This method required immense amounts of dexterity and patience.

Egyptian art came an incredibly long way throughout time and revealed much of its culture through artistic expression. When we look at a statue, we can conclude so much about the culture. We can see the way they dressed, or the way they held themselves, or the way they depicted their rulers. The ancient statues of Egypt seemed to set an example of power and dictation. Most sculptures were dedications to pharaohs and rulers and religious symbols of the civilization. They were created to look powerful, stern, and severe. Some were even intimidating, like the statue of Kafre, who looks extremely focused and fierce. These examples of artwork set the stage for so many new artists and so many new advancements. Egyptian artists created a basis of art that inspired the works and creations of thousands of artists after them, and it will inspire thousands of artists yet to come.