The Egyptian culture was a culture that lasted about 3,000 years and was located near the Nile River. The Nile River provided most of the resources for the Egyptians; therefore, a lot of the artwork was based on representing these bountiful resources. Another major influence of the artwork that was created was the kings and gods that were held at such high standards (Stokstad and Cothren, 50). There is one king in particular that was known in history for his great accomplishments, this king was King Narmer. The Egyptian’s expressed their respect for this king through a palette known as The Palette of Narmer. This piece is one of the firsts of Egyptian times that sets the morals for Egyptian artwork; it was created in the Early Dynastic time period. The Palette of Narmer tells a vast political story of the history of Egypt and the king, King Narmer.
The Palette of Narmer was created on a flat stone surface; the artists then carved the story into the flat stone in a very specific manor. This palette is known for representing the coming together of Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt (Stokstad and Cothren, 52). At the top of the palette on both sides shows two bulls that were said to possibly represent the goddess Hathor. Hathor was known as the goddess of protection, and is depicted in other Egyptian art as a woman with cow ears (British Museum, no page). In between the heads of Hathor is the name of the King Narmer, written with iconography called serekh. In this serekh, one can see the Horus falcon head and below it is the name of the king. The falcon head is said to protect the Egyptian ruler (Kinnaer). Although this is just one small piece of the top of the palette, it already starts to depict an enormous part of history in Egypt.
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... vast political success in Egypt. The palette was created to tell a story of the merging of Upper and Lower Egypt, and did so in a successful manner. King Narmer is shown several times in the palette vanquishing his opponents of Lower Egypt. The King is always shown in profile view, with his body facing forward. He does not wear any shoes, but wears clothing. This type of profile view can be seen in many other pieces of art in the Egyptian time period. The King also has his falcon watching over him, which not only shows his divine connection with the gods, but his connection with being the one of protection. King Narmer is a man who has power over the people in this time period and the people depicted in this palette. Overall, The Palette of Narmer is an exemplification of art of how Egypt became one large country, which had previously been divided into two states.
The pharaoh named Khafre was an ancient Egyptian king of the 4th dynasty during the old kingdom. Khafre enthroned shows the pharaoh is shown in a seated potion on a throne with a look of deep serenity in his face. The king is sitting rigidly upright with one of his hands on his knee and the other one making a fist on his thigh. Khafre is also wearing a headdress as well as a strapped on beard. Khafres’ face and body are both idealized with the help of bilateral symmetry. Khafre is perfectly symmetrical on both sides; his pose is also both frontal and ridged. The Sculptor shows all movement, however, still showing eternal stillness (Kleiner, 2013). The statue of Khafre is an image of unbridled power. This work, life-sized and carved from diorite (an extremely hard and difficult-to-work stone) portrays the Pharaoh Khafre, sitting immobile. This piece of art uses the Egyptian canon of proportions, creating a very idealized figure (Kleiner,
These two statues are famous to the Egyptian art era. They represent the woman’s position and the man’s position at that day and age. Traditionally, the rulers of Egypt were male. So, when Hatshepsut, Dynasty 18, ca. 1473-1458 B.C., assumed the titles and functions of king she was portrayed in royal male costumes. Such representations were more for a political statement, rather than a reflection of the way she actually looked. In this sculpture, she sits upon a throne and wears the royal kilt and the striped nemes (NEM-iss) headdress with the uraeus (cobra) and is bare chested like a man. However, she does not wear the royal beard, and the proportions of her body are delicate and feminine.
The Greeks named the city Hierakonpolis, or “City of the Falcon”, in reference to a local god. The falcon god was the predecessor of Horus, the god of order and symbol of Egypt’s kings. Nekhen’s rulers received both ideological and political power through their link with, or personification of, Horus. A statue of Horus placed upon a pole, guarded a large and colorful shrine in the middle of Nekhen where worshippers deposited their sacrificial offerings. The ideological power exuded by Nekhen made it an important spiritual destination. Political power was also expressed in the tombs of the elites and rulers. Tomb 100, located in a cemetery outside of Nekhen, is a royal tomb with painted walls that show how the occupant fought against chaos and upheld the ideals of Horus. Palettes found in Nekhen, similar to the Narmer palette, illustrated the military prowess of rulers and were likely tools of propaganda used to proclaim superior political power over rival
In front of Nykara’s son there are hieroglyphs near his feet which states “Scribe of the granary, Ankhma-re”, which indicates that Ankhma-Re works under the supervision of his father who is the chief of granary. The hieroglyphs on both sides of the chair read the “King’s acquaintance, inspector of scribes of the granary, Nyka-Re”. In front of the mothers feet the hieroglyphs read “The King’s acquaintance, Nubkau”. These statements explain Nykara’s role in the community as well as the status of Nykara and his family. They were not of the highest positions but they did have some influence in Egypt and acted as acquaintances to the
The pieces of sculpture are both carved using the subtractive method of sculpting from stone. However, the types of stone used were very different. The sculpture of Mycerinus and Kha-merer-nebty II was carved from a stone called greywacke, a dark colored, very hard stone the Egyptians prized for sculpture despite the fact t...
In the ancient Egyptian culture, any king, or Pharaoh, was seen as a divine figure because he was believed to be connected to the gods/goddesses. He was also believed to be chosen by them. The Triad of King Mycerinus and Two Goddesses is a sculpture that demonstrates this belief. It was first found in Giza, Egypt. Today it can be found in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
Throughout history, the idea of what a ruler is has evolved. In ancient societies the style of leadership evolved from royal leadership to politically appointed emperors. Inheritance of a throne and kingship subsided after Alexander the Great’s world domination. Instead, leaders came to power through political and military prowess, and if their leadership was unsatisfactory they would usually be overthrown. With the evolution of leadership throughout ancient times, came the evolution of art portraying the rulers of the era. The personality and authority portrayed in portraits, employ different means of expression. In the ancient Egyptian sculpture of King Menkaure and his Queen, a tetradrachm coin of ancient Greece depicting Alexander the Great, and the portrait sculpture of the emperor Philip the Arab from Rome, it is evident that portrayal of ancient rulers in art evolves in accordance with the political climate.
Although the portrait does not show a realistic representation of Wadj-shemsi-su himself, the Egyptians instead identified him with glyphs located on the back of the lid and concentrated on creating an idealistic image that symbolized the kingdom’s power. The lid functioned to protect the king’s mummified corpse, but the portrait itself functioned to symbolize the wealth of the kingdom through the figure’s powerful face, strong bone structure, and painted ornate
The iconography of Egypt’s New Kingdom paints a distorted picture of the Nubian people. With a clear focus on demonstrating the power of the king, and by extension Egypt itself, the iconography of the period becomes propaganda for the military prowess of king and country alike. The foreign “enemies,” like the Nubians, become oversimplified to fit the role they are given in the iconography. Michele Buzon’s article, “A Bioarchaeological Perspective on Egyptian Colonialism in Nubia during the New Kingdom” aids the reader in seeing different facets of the Nubian people. Buzon’s work demonstrates the fact that the portrayal of Nubians in New Kingdom iconography is generalized with regards to race, culture, and their interactions with the Egyptian
The Egyptians were big lovers of all beauty and fashion. They were such lovers of beauty that some of their names were based on the word ‘nefer’, which means beautiful. Examples of such were Nefert, Nefertiti, and Nefertari. The goddess associated with adornment was “Hathor the Golden”, who is seen as the ideal of beauty in love and poetry of the time.
The Egyptian Palette of Narmer includes four different sections, it also includes many different figures, some human like and others are different combinations of various animals.
The coffin of Puhorsenbu is intricately carved and decorated, with a sycamore wood base, and stucco and paint for the detail. The bright whites of the eyes are entrancing surrounding the dark brown of the eyes. A feathered bird with outstretched wings lays beneath the face and shoulders of the painted face. Red and green and gold are the most eye-catching colors of the piece, used in the lines and striping patterns that adorn the coffin. This piece was created for the purpose of the deceased and their afterlife—the testament was more to the grand life of the departed rather than the skill of the artist. As artful as we see it today, the Egyptians were not so much focused on the artistic aspect as the ritualism it served.
As women age, their bodies change in various ways such as the development of wrinkles and white hair. However, Egyptian art did not necessarily combine these features in a consistent, fixed order when they show women as they grew older. This may reflect the reality of the ageing process: people do not always age in the sa...
The figures, both seated and standing are depicted according to traditional Egyptian conventions. Nebamun is painted as the largest figure in the painting because he is the most significant . He is standing in perfect balance with a youthful, well proportioned and defined body. The artist has painted Nebamun in a way that emphasises what the Egyptians believed to be the most important parts of a man’s body. Teeter expands upon this.
The Narmer Palette is known for its size, elaborate carvings, and hieroglyphic writings on both sides. This is a prime example of Ancient Egyptian craftsmanship. This palette shows great craftsmanship along with true dedication into the carvings and hieroglyphic writings. The high-quality of workmanship put into the Narmer Palette clearly indicates the significance of this object. According to Francesca Jourdan, the carvings on the front side of the palette are; a king with a traditional beard wearing the “White Crown” to