Officially inaugurated in 1902, first Egyptian state museum owes its fame not only to its unique contents, but also to its elegant architecture designed by the French architect Marcel Dourgnon in 1900, which provides a wonderful backdrop for Pharaonic antiquities. The construction of this museum cost over four times as much as the building of the combined Museum of Arab Art and Khedivial Library. (Reid, 2002).
The French architect Marcel Dourgnon’s architectural design of the Egyptian Museum was wise and simple, reminiscent of the neo-classical style, combined with Greek and Roman decorative ornaments on the façade of the museum. This classical style was definitly known as the “Beaux Arts Style” that was prevalent during this period. The Egyptian
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There are identical openings on both sides of the entrance, as well as two other entrances on the far right and left, one for staff and the other leading to the library. In the middle of the garden lies a beautiful pool where lies a fountain in and around which are clumps of grass, flowers, papyrus and lotus plants. The garden also contains groups of important monuments made of solid stone such as sarcophagus and groups of sphinx-headed statues made of stone…etc. Additionally, There are also the statue and tomb of the founder of the Egyptian Museum August Mariette (1821-1881) bearing his name and dates of birth and death. The inside of the museum is full of rich and unique inscriptions, statues, embellishment and ancient images aimed to reveal the magnificence and strength of the edifice and its significance to history, culture and civilization of ancient Egypt. The total area of the museum building is about 15,000 square meters, the ground floor of the Egyptian Museum has an exhibition area of 5,400m2 dedicated to the chronological display of Egyptian antiquities. The midsection of the ground floor is approximately 45*16m2 and sits low on a number of steps leading up from the floor. The display in this section has been made to resemble ancient Egyptian …show more content…
As it is devoted to collections of sarcophagi from different eras and is reserved for scholars, although a plan is under way to open it to the general public. This first floor is unlike the ground floor with its massive statues, the first floor houses statuettes, a collection of relics from Tutankhamun, jewellery, and the 2 rooms of royal Mummies. Most of the upper floor rooms overlook those below to afford visitors a detailed view of the upper parts of the huge statues, thus dynamizing the display. Below the ground floor, The museum also houses a basement is the main storage room of the museum for major antiquities uncovered during archaeological digs, and contains tens of thousands of artefacts from various archaeological periods and areas. Moreover the museum has a very rich library. During the construction of the museum, attention was paid to ensuring ease of movement and smooth access between the various sections. Stairways were built in the four corners in order to facilitate access between the ground and upper floors. The museum also has three large and secured side doors through which large heavy objects can be brought in and out. These doors remain closed and are only opened when necessary. In the western side of the museum there are some extensions for some restoration workshops,
...h Museum. It contains the theological, cosmological and philosophical views of the Egyptians. Inscribed is also the name of an Egyptian Pharaoh who copied an inscription of his ancestors, this was around 700 B.C., the time when Egypt developed one of their first dynasties, Memphis. The Memphite Theology consists of 3 parts of text and philosophy.
The medium is Granodiorite and the technique used was sunken relief, which is a technique were the sculptor chisels deep outlines below the stone’s surface. The sculpture does not seem to be originally painted. The Egyptians created coloristic effects through contrasting shadows and highlights. They used natural pigments to color some sculptures, however this was not the case. There are deeply cut areas in the back of the statue that create deep shadows and the use of natural light helps to bring up the highlights. The granodiorite has natural colors that helped the sculptor show more of those shadows and highlights. The statue is mostly in a warm hue and it may be caused because of the lighting inside the museum. These warm colors make the details stand out more. At a closer look of the structure there are different colors that can be easily identified, such as white, yellow, brown, black, gray and small spots of orange. The statues seems to be carved in one piece. There are no signs indicating it
The statue of King Khafre Seated , from the fourth dynasty of the Old Kingdom, 2520 - 2492 BCE, was created by an unknown artist in the smooth permanence of graywacke stone. Although the statue is currently at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as number 56 in the Special Egyptian Exhibition, its true home is at the Egyptian Museum, in Cairo. The man being portrayed, King Khafre, ruled Egypt for approximately thirty years, during which he commissioned the single most recognizable monuments of Egypt, the a fore mentioned Pyramids at Giza and the Sphinx. These monuments of symmetry and solidity characterize the focus of popular architecture and sculpture from the Old Kingdom in Egypt.
Wilkinson, C. ‘Egyptian Wall Paintings: The Metropolitan Museum’s Collection of Facsimiles’, The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin New Series, Vol. 36, No. 4 (1979)
The Valley of the Kings is a valley in Egypt which was chosen as the burial ground for a great number of pharaohs and nobles of the New Kingdom; the New Kingdom in Egypt spans the time between the 16th century BC and the 11th century BC which includes the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth dynasties of Egypt (Long 2015: 39). In 1979 an organization known as the Theban Mapping Project was organized to strategically catalogue the present and available archaeological record of the Theban Necropolis in the Valley of the Kings. “The TMP’s goal is to establish a historical and contemporary record of all monuments … and to prepare detailed topographical maps, architectural plans and surveys of their history and condition (Weeks 2000:1).” The book
The metropolitan museum is the largest art museum in the United States, and one of the largest in the world. Upon going to the museum I found myself wondering how I can choose three artifacts out of nearly a million different relics. After spending countless hours roaming the three story museum and looking at the vast amount of artifacts I found myself overwhelmed with inspiration to write this analysis. The only dilemma was how one can narrow down the selection to three relics out of hundreds of thousands. After sometime I picked the three relics that I found interesting, spiritual, and showed a significance in modern and ancient history. The three relicts I will discuss in this essay are the following; Family Tree, Emperor’s Twelve-Symbol Robe, and lastly Mans Shirt, these three artifacts show in my opinion how god, the spirit and the universe all reflect upon the individual wearing the clothing/stories painted upon the person.
Items displayed in museums hold historical significance and are representative of society’s culture. Preserving valuable collections for education and enjoyment is a primary role of museums. While fulfilling this role, the architecture of the museum is also an important factor. Historical buildings are converted into museums and architects must consider the use of the space and the museum’s purpose during their initial design. Other museums are built with a clear purpose in mind. As museums are designed, many characteristics are determined. Display and storage spaces as well as visitor services impacts museum’s functionality. Based on the function of a museum, architectural requirements are different.
For quite some time now I have taken a great interest in Ancient Egyptian artwork and the history behind it. The Ancient Egyptian were once a powerful civilization, they left behind thousands of ancient enriched artifacts. Religion played a significant role in Ancient Egyptian artwork and had a huge influence on their civilization. The vast majority of Ancient Egypt artwork illustrates images of gods, goddesses, and rulers known as pharaohs. The Ancient Egyptians paid close attention to balance, proportions and rich details. If a person were to closely look at Egyptian art it would be clear to see that they used vibrant shapes with simple figures and smooth spaces of color assisting in creating a sense of direction and poise in
When French President Francois Mitterand “personally selected Mr. Pei in 1983 to design the Grand Louvre to give air, space, and light to one of the world’s most congested museums,” (Markham, 1989) there were many critics. The press “lambasted the idea of shattering the harmony of the Louvre’s courtyard with a glass iceberg” (Markham, 1989). But Pei proceeded as planned, taking a major risk in creating a glass pyramid structure at the entrance. He did not focus on what the critics would say about his plans, but hoped that the world would see, upon completion, that his vision of a contemporary, functional entrance would not clash with the Baroque style of the Louvre itself.
For this assignment I chose the Salvador Dali Museum. Dali was a spanish painter and still remains one of the most paradoxical and controversial artists of the twentieth century. An abundance of his paintings were created around religious themes. Many were distinct religious images. Dali also used sexual subjects too, he used his wife gala as a muse for them.
The elements that will be focused on are the multiple functions of the tomb and rituals, specifically the mummification of bodies. Ancient Egyptian tombs had many functions; the main function being to hold the bodies of the dead. Tombs were typically built during a person’s lifetime and were ready by their time of death (Olson, 2009). Before bodies were put in the tombs, they underwent a process called mummification to help preserve the body and keep it intact. The tomb was also a place where family members could come and visit the deceased. In the early years, tomb structures were very simple; they consisted only of one chamber (Grajetzki, 2003: 3-4). Later on, façade tombs were built— which consisted of two parts; an “underground chamber for the dead and the superstructure built above the ground, over the shaft and the burial chamber” (Grajetzki, 2003: 8). Next, the Egyptian tombs and ...
"The Pyramids of Ancient Egypt." Intercity Oz Inc. 1999. Retrieved 15 November 2003 from http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/pyramids.htm.
Arguably one of the most important discoveries made regarding the historical and cultural study of ancient Egypt is the translation of the writing form known as hieroglyphics. This language, lost for thousands of years, formed a tantalizing challenge to a young Jean François who committed his life to its translation. Scholars such as Sylvestre de Sacy had attempted to translate the Rosetta Stone before Champollion, but after painstaking and unfruitful work, they abandoned it (Giblin 32). Champollion’s breakthrough with hieroglyphics on the Rosetta Stone opened up new possibilities to study and understand ancient Egypt like never before, and modern Egyptology was born.
The civilization of Ancient Egypt was one of the earliest in world history. Its timeline spans from 3000B.C to 31 B.C before it was annexed by the Roman Empire. During that period a lot of art was made that still remains to this day. Mostly statues and reliefs where made for religious purposes either for divine or deceased recipients and so not made to be seen. Ancient Egyptian art is five thousand years old. It emerged and took shape in the ancient Egypt, the civilization of the Nile Valley. It was highly symbolic and fascinating - this art form revolves round the past and was intended to keep history alive. Through these depictions historians have seen how the civilization changed and evolved; which has made it one of the most
...cientific expedition to Egypt in 1638. Greaves set out to describe the Great Pyramid, and his measurements proved to be highly accurate. Throughout the rest of the 17th and 18th centuries the efforts of European diplomats and travelers, such as Benoît de Maillet of France, Richard Pococke of Britain, and Frederik Norden of Denmark, helped stimulate European interest in the monuments of ancient Egypt. Other great men in history have to has their run with the Pyramids, like Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1798 Napoleon Bonaparte of France invaded Egypt. A large team of scholars accompanied his army, with the intention of documenting not only every ancient monument but the plants, animals, geography, and culture of the modern inhabitants. The results of this effort, which ended in 1801 with the French retreat from Egypt, were published in a monumental series of books entitled Description de l’Égypte (1809-1828)