Sculpture of Ancient Egypt
Sculpture in Egypt appeared in connection with religious requirements and developed depending on them. Cult requirements determined the appearance of this or that type of statues, their iconography and place of installation. The basic rules for sculpture were finally formed during the early kingdom: symmetry and frontality in the construction of figures, clarity and calmness of poses best corresponded to the cult purpose of the statues. These features of the appearance of the statues were also due to their location against a wall or in a niche. The prevailing postures - sitting with hands on the knees and standing with the left leg extended forward - are folded very early. A little later, a "scribe's pose" appears - a man sitting on crossed legs. At first, only the royal sons were depicted in the position of a scribe. Family groups also appear early. A number of rules were required for the entire sculpture: a straight head position, some attributes of power or profession, a certain coloring (male bodies were brick-colored, female bodies were yellow, hair was black). The eyes were often inlaid with bronze and stones.
The bodies of the statues were made exaggeratedly powerful and developed, giving the statue a solemn elevation. On the contrary, faces in some cases were supposed to convey the individual traits of the deceased. Hence the early appearance in Egypt of a sculptural portrait. The most remarkable, now renowned portraits were hidden in tombs, some of them in walled up rooms where no one could see them. On the contrary, the statues themselves could, according to the beliefs of the Egyptians, observe life through small holes at eye level.
The sculptor's mastery of portraiture was probably facilitated by one of the means by which they tried to save the corpse from decay: sometimes it was covered with plaster. At the same time, the face looked like a plaster mask. However, since the eyes had to be open to depict the face of a living person, such a mask required additional processing. Apparently, this technique of removing the mask and casting from it was used by sculptors when working on portraits. In some tombs, two types of statues are found: one - conveying the individual traits of a person, depicting him without a wig and dressed in the fashion of his time; the other with a much more idealized face, dressed in a short formal girdle and a puffy wig. The same phenomenon is observed in the relief. It is still impossible to explain this with certainty, it is only undoubted that these statues reflected various aspects of the funeral cult. Wooden statues have been found in a number of tombs, which may have been associated with one of the moments of the funeral ritual, when the statue was raised and lowered several times. The ceremony of "opening the mouth and eyes" was performed over the statue, after which it was considered revived and was given the opportunity to eat and speak.
In addition to the statues of the deceased, figures of workers were also placed in the tomb, especially in the Middle Kingdom, who, they believed, were supposed to ensure the afterlife of the deceased. Hence, there are other requirements for sculptors - to depict people engaged in a wide variety of work. In full accordance with the general requirement of Egyptian art, a characteristic moment is chosen for each occupation, which becomes canonical for this type. The general rules, for example frontality and the accepted coloring, remain here as well.
The statues played an important role in the architectural design of the temples: they lined the roads leading to the temple, stood at the pylons, in the courtyards and internal premises. The statues, which had a great architectural and decorative load, differed from purely religious ones. They were made in large sizes, interpreted in a generalized way, without great detail.
The tasks of the sculptors who worked on the cult images of gods, kings and private persons were different. A large group consisted of royal statues, dedicated by the pharaohs to the temple in order to forever place themselves under the protection of the deity. Prayers on such statues usually contain requests for health, well-being, sometimes requests of a political nature. The changes in the field of ideology that took place after the fall of the Old Kingdom led to changes in the field of art: the pharaoh, seeking to glorify his power, erected his statues not only in the funeral sanctuaries, but also in the temples of various deities; such figures were supposed to glorify the living ruler and convey portrait likeness as concretely as possible.
As a sign of the pharaoh's special favor, statues of nobles, in particular the architects who built this temple, were dedicated to the temple. At first, it was possible to consecrate your statue to the temple only with the permission of the pharaoh, but with a change in religious ideas and the spread of some royal rites to the nobility, and then to the middle strata of society, the privilege of dedicating their statues to the temple passed to private individuals.
By the end of the Old Kingdom, regions were distinguished, the monuments of which were distinguished by their originality. In the Middle Kingdom, centers are determined (in particular, the workshops of Middle Egypt) with their own characteristics and traditions. Light figures with elongated proportions, originating from Siut (modern Assyut), differ from the Meir ones with their short heads and accentuated chest muscles; softly interpreted forms of bodies, the absence of sharp lines are characteristic of Abydos sculpture.
The period of the XVIII dynasty is the heyday of Egyptian art, in particular in the field of sculpture. A special trend appeared at the end of this period under the influence of a new religious and philosophical doctrine and state cult created by Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten). Breaking with the old canon, the tsarist sculptors of that time developed new artistic principles. At the same time, trying to transfer characteristic features models, they over-sharpened and emphasized them. A new canon began to be developed based on the iconography of the reformer Pharaoh himself. However, later statues of the Amarna period are distinguished by a more elaborate image, the absence of exaggeration. World famous sculptural portraits of Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti from the workshop of the sculptor Jehutimesu. During the 19th dynasty, there was a return to the old traditions, especially in Thebes. The political situation in the second half of the New Kingdom led to the allocation of northern workshops. Statues with powerful torsos, thick arms and legs, broad flat faces were contrasted with the external elegance and grace of sculpture with elongated proportions.
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The art of ancient Egypt in the collections of the British MuseumI will continue my show of the British Museum, grabbing its best exhibits for you ... The next show is my favorite Egyptian art. So ....
Hall No. 4-Egyptian sculpture
The most visited and popular are the halls of Ancient Egypt. There are always crowds of people here. And this is not surprising - if you are already in the British Museum, how can you miss the opportunity to see with your own eyes the mummies of the pharaohs and their sarcophagi? It is also interesting to see wall paintings from 1350 BC depicting the life of wealthy Egyptians of that time, a collection of amulets and jewelry, mummies of cats and other animals.
It is always crowded here, it's good that the sculptures are large enough and sleepily watch the crowds of tourists from time immemorial. I won't argue a lot, I will focus on some eesponats ...
The ancient Egyptian collection of the museum is one of the largest in the world (over 66 thousand exhibits). Chronologically it covers the period of IV-III millennium BC. until the 7th century The richest section is the monumental sculpture of the New Kingdom (16th-11th centuries BC): the Granite Head of Tutmes III, two Figures of Amenhotep III from black granite, a huge head from his statue (c. 1400 BC), Sculpture of Pharaoh Ramses II (c. 1250 BC), stone sarcophagi, statues of the gods.
It also displays about a hundred wooden sarcophagi, well-preserved mummies, including mummies of sacred animals, Coptic fabrics and "Fayum portraits" (1st-4th centuries). The collection contains 31 portraits: a sarcophagus with a portrait of Artemidor from Fayum (early 2nd century), "Portrait of a young woman from Er-Rubayat" (2nd century), "Portrait of a man from Hawara" (early 2nd century).
At the entrance to one of the halls, the Rosetta Stone (c. 196 BC) is displayed, with a carved text of a decree in honor of Tsar Ptolemy V. A black basalt slab was found in 1799 by French soldiers near the town of Rosetta. Thanks to the inscription, twice repeating the text by various systems of Egyptian writing and translation into Greek, Jean-Francois Champollion (1790-1832) in 1822 deciphered the Egyptian hieroglyphs.
The Egyptian collection of the museum contains papyri (about 800 documents), introducing the world to literary works, theological writings, religious hymns and myths, scientific treatises, recordings historical events, as well as with business and personal correspondence, legal documents. The museum keeps the so-called "Books of the Dead" - a collection of magic spells, which included more than 180 chapters. The best examples were decorated with drawings, headpieces, miniatures: "Book of the Dead" by the priestess of Anhai (c. 1100 BC), "Book of the Dead" by Hunefer (c. 1300 BC).
This section presents handicrafts, ceramics, glass and earthenware vases, jewelry, scarabs, paintings taken from the walls of Theban tombs and made in the technique of tempera (15th century BC): "Farmers with geese", "Hunting on water birds "," Singers and dancers ", etc. - all date from 1425-1379 BC.
Kings, queens, their children of different kingdoms and also bas-reliefs and wall paintings of tombs
Ahmenotep and the Vizier of Memphis
And these birds are the prototype of the Deity of Horus
Abydos list of kings
Rosetta Stone Ancient Egypt. 196 BC e. Basalt (?). 11 2,3x75,7x28,4
On the famous Rosetta stone there are inscriptions in three languages, the content of the text is the decree of Ptolemy V Epiphanes, which exempted the Egyptian priests from paying one of the taxes and established the cult of the king in the Memphis temple. The repetition of the decree in the language of the kings of Hellenistic Egypt (Greek), vernacular (demotic) and hieroglyphic (the language of the priests) was necessary, for the decree concerned everyone. The upper part of the slab has not survived, and several hieroglyphic lines have also disappeared.
The inscriptions, inscribed on the slab, presumably of dark basalt, were discovered in 1799 by the engineer Pierre-François Bouchard, who, during Napoleon Bonaparte's Egyptian campaign, dug trenches near the city of Rosetta. After the defeat of the French expeditionary force on the Nile and the surrender of Alexandria, the Rosetta Stone, according to Article XVI of the Alexandrian Treaty, went to England and instead of the Louvre ended up in the British Museum.
Egyptology begins with the decoding of these inscriptions. Comparison of the same text, written in different languages, allowed specialists to understand previously unreadable ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. It was possible to find the key to the letters only 20 years after the discovery of the Rosetta stone by two scientists at once - the Englishman Thomas Jung (1819) and, independently of him, the Frenchman Jean-François Champollion (1822), who was able to establish the pronunciation of each hieroglyph in the cartouche (oblong outline with a horizontal line at the bottom indicating that the text written in it is the royal name) "Ptolemy" and read it in all three languages. Then, relying on his knowledge of Coptic and Greek, he deciphered the rest of the unknown signs of the inscription.
Sarcophagus
Man with a hoe Ancient Egypt. Dynasty VI, about 2250 BC e. Wood, mineral paints. Height 33
Wooden figurines of farmers, bakers, potters, weavers were found in many tombs of the era of the Ancient and Middle Kingdoms. The ancient Egyptians believed that a person's life after death would be similar to that of the earth - they would have to drink, eat and dress. Therefore, going to the "land of the blessed" Pharaoh needed numerous servants. In other countries (for example, in Mesopotamia) for such purposes, slaves of the deceased ruler were killed. In ancient Egypt, they acted much more mercifully: instead of real people, their images were left in the "eternal home" of the king. The Egyptians believed that after death a person, as well as during life, will most of all need bread, respectively, the most important will be the work of farmers and bakers.
Figurines depicting these types of works have been found in the tombs of many pharaohs. The miniature sculpture represents a man with a hoe in his hands. Breaking up the clods left after plowing the land is a very difficult task, but it was necessary, because it provided a rich harvest. The sculptor accurately and realistically showed the tool and posture of the farmer, while he himself was depicted according to the conventional rules of the canon: small stature and weak physique are evidence of low social status, and red-brown skin color is a sign of male sex.
A sculptural group showing the work of bakers in Ancient Egypt. XII Dynasty, around 1900 BC e. Wood, mineral paints. Height 23, length 42.5
Egyptian art, performing magical tasks, was intended to preserve only that which mattered for eternity. A person engaged in work is of little interest to the artist, because it is not he who is important, but his work, on which the well-being of the pharaoh's afterlife depends. Therefore, the reliability is manifested only in the depiction of the attributes of the craft and the gestures of the "king's servants". The style of such statuettes until the era of the New Kingdom changed little: each of them, being a symbol of a certain profession, was endowed with typical and memorable features. Sometimes the figurines were united in groups representing live and immediate genre scenes.
Very plausibly depicted in a miniature sculptural composition is the work of bakers, whose labor, providing bread on the king's table, was considered sacred. Two employees of the court kitchen are busy each with their own business. One kneads the dough so diligently that wrinkles form on his forehead from the tension, the other, squatting and shading his face with his hand from the fire, takes out the finished loaves from the oven. The master also showed the result of the work of the bakers - a whole mountain of ready-made breads intended to provide the owner of the tomb with a well-fed life for a long time.
Head of the cult statue of the goddess Hathor Ancient Egypt, Deir el-Bahri. Dynasty 18, around 1450 BC e. Alabaster. Height 34.8, width 16.5
Hathor, whose name translates as "House of Horus", was revered by the Egyptians as the mother goddess who carried the supreme deity in the womb. Her image was associated with mythological ideas about the creation of the world, and patronage extended to all spheres of earthly and afterlife. Hathor's favor was the guarantee of a continuously renewing vitality. Among the general population, she was considered an assistant in everyday affairs. In the sculpture and painting of Ancient Egypt, the goddess could appear as a beautiful young woman, crowned with cow's horns with a solar disk between them. Back in the days of the Old Kingdom (2613-2160 BC), Hathor was depicted as a cow feeding the king. The divine animal has always been endowed with solar symbolism: a golden disk shone between the gilded horns, and the eyes were sky-blue.
This oldest aspect of the cult of Hathor was restored and consolidated during the reign of Hatshepsut. The only woman-pharaoh in Egyptian history, who officially did not have the right to the throne, having declared her divine origin, sought to enlist the intercession of Hathor in the hypostasis of the “nourishment of kings”.
The beautiful head of the iconic statue of the goddess in the form of a cow comes from a sanctuary built next to the funeral temple of Hatshepsut in Deir el-Bahri. The sculpture is made of white translucent alabaster, symbolizing the purity and holiness of the mother goddess, as well as the milk of the heavenly cow, which gives energy to the gods and pharaohs. The eyes of the statue, inlaid with lapis lazuli and rock crystal, as well as the gilded horns with a gold disk attached to them, have not survived. However, even without these precious attributes, the image makes a vivid impression. The nature-like image is full of soft kindness, calmness and solemn grandeur. Keeping the features realistic, the sculptor ennobles the animal, transforming it into a higher being.
Room 61: Life and death in Egypt.
Fresco paintings of tombs from Nebamun
Hunting for water birds Painting of a tomb in Thebes Ancient Egypt. Dynasty 18, around 1350 BC e. Limestone, mineral paints. 98x115
The painting of the tomb of Nebamun, "the scribe who keeps account of the grain," included several wonderful scenes depicting for eternity the most joyful moments of his earthly life.
One of the best compositions represents a hunt for water birds in the Nile thickets: a young nobleman Nebamun, standing on a boat surrounded by flowers and holding a bait - three blue herons - prepares to throw a boomerang at a flock of pheasants that have taken off from the bushes. The scribe is accompanied by his wife and daughter. A beautiful and smartly dressed woman, pictured just behind her husband, holds a large bouquet of white lotuses in her hands, and a small nude girl, sitting in a boat and holding on to her father's leg, pulls a huge flower out of the water. To emphasize the high position of Nebamun, the artist significantly increased the size of his figure.
Images of people are strictly subordinate to the canon: faces and legs are shown from the side, eyes and shoulders - in front, and bodies have a conditional symbolic color. But the very picture of the hunt, replete with bright colors and many interesting details gleaned from life observations, is full of joy and movement. Butterflies flutter in the air, among the disturbed birds one can distinguish geese, ducks, wagtails and a heron sitting on the nest. The greedy wild cat contrived and grabbed three birds in a jump. The artist even shows what a person cannot see, for example, huge crucian carp swimming under water.
Inhabited by all kinds of living creatures, the Nile thickets turn into a fertile paradise drowning in flowers, where life trembles everywhere and beauty reigns. The sonorous blue, gold and white colors of the painting also remind of the heavenly river in the "land of the blessed", where people can enjoy forever, contemplating beauty. The genre scene turns out to be full of deep symbolism. The successful hunt of Nebamun is a sign of his victory over the elements and death, a guarantee of rebirth in eternity. The ginger cat, skillfully cracking down on prey, is the embodiment of the solar deity, driving away the darkness.
Celebration in honor of Nebamun. Singers and dancers The painting of the tomb in Thebes Ancient Egypt. Dynasty XVIII, around 1350 BC e. Limestone, mineral paints. 69x30
In the paintings that adorn the tombs of the ancient Egyptian nobles of the New Kingdom, images of feasts, dates and relaxation in the garden are often found. These bright scenes of idle pastime filled with sensual beauty were to be preserved forever, continuing to delight the deceased.
In the tomb of Nebamun, the artist captured a magnificent celebration. Dressed guests sit in pairs, give instructions to servants and enjoy life. For them, beautiful vocalists sing, beating time with their palms, a flutist is playing, young naked dancers are dancing. Golden flowing dresses, curls of luxurious wigs, precious necklaces and massive earrings, bracelets on graceful hands and crowning hairstyles with cones of aromatic substances that melted under the rays of the sun - the master captures all the details of the appearance, not a single detail of those that create beauty escapes his attentive gaze.
To emphasize the subtlety of the linen fabric that hugs flexible bodies, the artist makes the outfits translucent. Singing lines outline figures of dancers, contours and chiseled faces. Depicting girls, the author sometimes uses angles that are unusual for Egyptian art and go beyond the canon. The colorful scale enhances the light mood of the scene, which is dominated by white, yellow and blue colors. The hieroglyphic inscription conveys the words of the song being sung: “Sweet flowers are fragrant, gifts from Ptah, raised by Geb, his beauty is spread everywhere, Ptah created it to please his heart. The ponds are again full of water, the earth is overflowing with love for him. "
Halls 62-63
The Judgment of Osiris Drawing from the Book of the Dead by Junifer Ancient Egypt. Dynasty 19th, around 1300 BC e. Papyrus. Height 38.5
The provisional name of the Book of the Dead received an extensive collection of magical texts known from the era of the New Kingdom. They, serving as a kind of guide to the afterlife, were supposed to help a person cope with demonic creatures and, after a favorable outcome of the judgment of Osiris, reach the "country of the blessed."
The scroll of Junifer was found in his tomb, inside a hollow figurine made in the form of a mummy with the attributes of the gods Osiris and Ptah. Among the most interesting illustrations of this papyrus is the scene of the judgment in the kingdom of the dead. It shows how the deceased, accompanied by the god Anubis, enters the courtroom and pronounces a “negative confession” in front of the gods, claiming that “he did not commit evil, did not stain himself with lies, theft, robbery or murder, did not encroach on temple treasures and diverted water from the fields, did not rebel against Pharaoh, did not offend the gods.
The truthfulness of the words had to be checked, and the artist depicts scales, on one side of which lies the heart of Junifer, on the other - a feather, personifying the goddess of truth Maat. Anubis monitors the readings of the scales: if the bowl is balanced, it means that the deceased told the truth and passed the test before the judges (their figures are presented in the upper register). The ibis-headed god, Thoth, standing to the right of the scales, records the decisions of the court. A monster with the head of a crocodile, Ammamat, is looking at him, opening its mouth, and ready to devour the one who lied. But Junifer turned out to be honest, and Horus brings him to the throne of his father Osiris, who sits on the throne. The goddesses Isis and Nephthys bless those arriving in the "land of the blessed," and the lotus growing out of the water symbolizes his purity.
The drawings, sequentially depicting all stages of the afterlife, are executed with calligraphic precision and are colored with rich local colors; their rhythmically organized compositions are distinguished by rigor and laconicism.
Ushabti Seti I Upper part of a figurine from the tomb of Seti I Ancient Egypt, Valley of the Kings. Dynasty 19th, around 1290 BC e. Faience. Height 22.8
According to the ideas of the ancient Egyptians ushabti, small figurines depicting a deceased person were to play an important role in ensuring his well-being in the afterlife. They should have done the most difficult and dirtiest work in the "Reed Fields" instead of the deceased. It was believed that every inhabitant of Egypt should work after death on the ground.
This sacred duty could not be neglected even by Pharaoh himself. To save the ruler from a difficult lot, several ushabti were placed in his tomb. The magical rites of the burial ceremony were supposed to revive the figurines and give them vitality. Since in the kingdom of the dead the ushabti became doubles of man, they were made like him. The figurines could depict the deceased in the form of a mummy or in ordinary clothes. To enhance the effectiveness of the rituals, each figurine should have been inscribed with a chapter from the Book of the Dead, which spoke of its purpose. The earliest ushabti date back to the 21st century BC. e.
At the beginning of the New Kingdom (1550-1070 BC), their number increased significantly. Only in one tomb of Tutankhamun were found several hundred ushabti. Then, for some unknown reason, the figurines of the deputy workers disappeared from the royal burials, and only in the tomb of Seti I did they reappear.
Most of this 19th dynasty pharaoh's uchebti from his burial, discovered by Giovanni Belzoni in 1817, were soon split. Visitors to the tomb set fire to wooden figurines, using them as lamps. Numerous figurines, often made of inexpensive materials, were apparently not highly valued. Only a few of the royal ushabti managed to escape the barbaric destruction, including this remarkable specimen. It is an exquisite earthenware figurine covered with brilliant blue enamel and skillfully painted with black paint. Ushebti was given a canonical appearance (this is how the pharaoh was depicted on sarcophagi): the portrait mask is framed by a royal headdress with a cobra-urey, arms crossed on his chest. However, instead of attributes of power, hoes are embedded in them; the inscription on the lower part of the figure, swaddled like a mummy, reminds of the need to work in the "Reed Fields".
Bust of Ramses II Ancient Egypt. Dynasty 19th, circa 1280 BC e. Granite. Height 158
Ramses II (1304-1237), the great great-grandson of the founder of the 19th dynasty, Ramses I, who returned ancient possessions to Egypt and concluded a peace treaty beneficial for the country after a long war with the Hittites, restored and consolidated the glory and power of the state, which successfully ruled for 67 years. He not only fought, but also built a lot: in Thebes, the rocks of Abu Simbel, Karnak, magnificent temples were erected, where everywhere - on the steles, columns of hypostyle halls and statues of the king - numerous inscriptions proclaimed the power of Ramses: “He is like fire, advancing and there is no water to extinguish it. He makes the rebels swallow the screams of outrage that erupt from their mouths when he takes them prisoner. " The praise was echoed by the perpetuation in stone - thousands of sculptures of the pharaoh were erected throughout the country. Among them is a granite bust of Ramses II from the island of Elephantine, donated British Museum in 1838 by Lord Hamilton.
The great ruler of Egypt is presented in the form of a "good god", "who suppressed the south and conquered the north, fighting with his sword." The facial features of the famous pharaoh, well known from his numerous images, are here softened and endowed with eternal youth. The young face has a long beard with a curl below - a conventional sign of unearthly origin and an attribute of the gods. No inhabitant of Ancient Egypt dared to wear such a beard, except for the king himself.
On the head of the pharaoh, the unifier of the country, there are two crowns at once: Lower and Upper Egypt. In his arms crossed on his chest, he holds a staff and a whip - symbols of power and control over a huge power. The sacred cobra urei on Rameses' forehead prepared for a lethal attack on any enemy who dares to encroach on his divine rights. The name of the great king, carved on the shoulder of a granite bust, strengthens his power and glory on earth and in eternity.
Cat figurine Ancient Egypt. I-III centuries BC e. Bronze. Height 33
Cats, deeply revered in Ancient Egypt, were considered sacred animals of the goddess of love Bastet. The animals were kept in temples, and the cat was of great value to its owners in private ownership. When the beloved pet was dying, the ministers of the temple and the inhabitants of the house, as a sign of mourning, had to shave off their eyebrows, cry inconsolably, and mummify the little body of the animal and bury it in a special cemetery.
This cat sculpture may have participated in a similar funeral rite. The image is made in full size, it is extremely laconic in its complete simplicity.
The figurine is a masterpiece of animal sculpture of Ancient Egypt. The talented master conveyed in bronze the restrained strength and grace of a lean, lithe cat, the alertness of her posture and the elasticity of an elegant, chiseled body. The sculptor correctly captured the main features of the depicted animal: this is a real wild cat, which sits, grouped and concentrated before jumping, proud and confident in its agility.
But at the same time, a regal beast is in front of the viewer, his posture is majestic, and his attentive timeless gaze is calm. On the animal there is a silver mantle with the image of the sacred symbols of eternal life, in the ears and nose there are gold earrings. The precious ornaments stand out clearly against the polished bronze surface of the figurine. This sculptural image, despite its miniature size, looks monumental due to the laconicism of details, the generalization of plastic forms and the precise drawing of the silhouette.
Amenchonatep III
Portrait of a young woman Egypt, Fayum oasis, Hawara. Early 2nd century AD e. Wood, encaustic. Height 38.2
Painted portraits of the 1st-4th centuries A.D. e., discovered at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century during the excavations of the Roman necropolises of the Fayum oasis and therefore called Fayum, represent a gallery of a variety of persons: men, women, children and old people. These only surviving examples of antique easel painting were associated with the funeral cult. In Egypt, they replaced the traditional mummy masks. Under the influence of the traditions of Greek realistic painting and Roman sculptural portrait, Fayum artists improved their skills and learned to reproduce the appearance of dead people with extraordinary truthfulness, preserving not only their facial features, but also character traits.
The portrait of a young dark-haired woman in a lilac tunic is surprisingly vivid and direct. The gaze of her huge, shiny eyes is directed at the viewer, the poetic appearance breathes life: shadows flutter on the delicate skin, gold jewelry and the sonorous color of clothes emphasize the beauty of the face. There is not even a trace of the detachment characteristic of ancient Egyptian funeral portraits in this lovely image. The encaustic technique, in which the artists from Fayum worked predominantly, contributed greatly to the creation of expressive and realistic images. Craftsmen boiled beeswax in seawater, added resin to it and mixed it with powdered mineral paints, then applied them with a metal rod and a brush to primed cypress boards. This method made it possible, using the play of light and shade, to give the face an almost sculptural volume. Wax painting paints, while remaining transparent, retained the brightness and color saturation.
Sarcophagus with a portrait of Artemidor Egypt, Fayum oasis, Hawara. Early 2nd century AD e. Wood, encaustic. 43x23, length of the sarcophagus 127
The best examples of Fayum's painting include a portrait on a sarcophagus from Hawara, glued together from several layers of canvas and sheets of papyrus, covered with pink plaster on top. Its lid shows scenes associated with the ancient Egyptian funeral cult. The relief figurines of the gods, as well as the convex letters of the inscription containing the name of the deceased, Artemidor, are covered with gold. Golden wreath pictured over hair young man, - a symbol of his happy future in the afterlife. The portrait was made by a gifted artist. The appearance of a young man - a refined face with expressive features and an attentive gaze of large dark eyes - creates the impression of a person with a strong character and a rich inner world. In the open gaze of Artemidor one can read the consciousness of his own dignity, strong will and passion of nature.
Portraits from Fayum were often painted during a person's life and, as some researchers believe, could decorate his house for a long time, so they depict the deceased as very young. The image of Artemidor is unique in this respect - it made it possible to check this version, because the mummy itself has survived. After spectral analysis, it was found that the age in the portrait exactly corresponds to the time of the death of the young man, who at the time of death was about 20 years old. Such a number of young faces in the Fayum portraits, apparently, reflected the real demographic situation: many in those distant times left this world very early.
The art of Ancient Egypt. Portrait sculpture of the Ancient Kingdom.
As already mentioned, the funeral cult largely determined the appearance of portrait sculpture. But he also limited its development to certain frameworks. The monotony of calm motionless (sitting or standing) poses of statues endowed with the same attributes, the conditional coloring of their bodies (male - red-brown paint, female - yellow, hair - black, clothes - white) - all this was dictated by the requirements of the cult, which intended these statues are for the "eternal" life of the soul of the deceased.
The eyes of the statues were often inlaid with other materials, which achieved greater expressiveness and vitality.
The statues are not designed to be viewed from different angles, they seem to be leaning back against the plane of the stone block that serves as a background for them. Viewers only see them from the front, they are entirely frontal. The statues are also characterized by absolute symmetry, the strictest balance of the right and left half of the body. This rule is strictly observed not only when depicting a standing figure, but also when conveying all the other poses characteristic of Egyptian sculpture of all times.
The Egyptian artist usually began his work by applying a drawing of the image he wanted to get on a rectangular block of stone from which the statue was to be carved, on a pre-drawn grid. Then, by carving, he removed the excess stone, processed the details, grinded and polished the statue. But even in the finished work of art, one always felt the rectangular edges of the block from which it was “released” by the artist. This explains the “geometricism” of Egyptian sculpture, which is its most characteristic feature.
Along with the statues of kings and nobles, the type of scribe sitting at work, usually with a scroll of papyrus in his lap, is developing. The variety of compositions was limited. The pose of Pharaoh Khafr, seated on a throne, is characteristic of all seated figures of the Old Kingdom and for most statues of subsequent times. In a standing figure of a man, the left leg is always extended forward, the arms are either lowered along the body, or one of them rests on a staff. Female figure usually stands with closed legs, the right arm is lowered along the body, the left one lies in front of the waist. The neck is almost absent, the head sometimes rests almost directly on the shoulders, the gaps between the arms and the body, between the legs are almost always not drilled out, and these parts of the remaining stone are conditionally painted over in the so-called colors of emptiness, black or white. It was impossible, due to the special tasks of the funeral cult, to convey instant moods, random poses.
Physical power was emphasized in the figures of the pharaohs and noble persons. Preserving some of the undoubtedly portrait features, the authors discarded minor details, imparted an impassive expression to the faces, generalized the mighty, stately-monumental body shapes.
But the most talented sculptors, even within the constraining framework of the canon, managed to create a number of remarkable, striking portrait works. Examples of such individualized statues are the sculptures of the 4th dynasty - statues of noble people Rahotep and Nofret (Cairo Museum) and a bust of the king's son Ankhhaf (Boston, Museum of Fine Arts), the architect Hemiun (Cairo Museum), as well as the head of a male statue from the Salt collection (Paris , Louvre) and statues of the V dynasty - noblemen Ranofer (Cairo Museum), scribe Cai (Paris, Louvre) and prince Kaaper (Cairo Museum).
These portraits do not simply repeat the appearance of this or that person. These are images created by selecting the most characteristic features portrayed.
Sculptors of the 5th-6th dynasties are beginning to increasingly resort to expensive wood, which makes it possible to solve such problems that seemed insoluble in round plastic, despite all the brilliance of the achievements of stone sculpture of the 3rd and 4th dynasties. The movements of the statues become freer, although the basic canon remains in force when transferring the human figure.
Before us is the face of the Louvre scribe, then the smiling, good-natured face of the plump, elderly dignitary of the 5th Kaaper dynasty, whom the fellahs who found him called the "village headman" for his striking resemblance to the headman they knew. It is not for nothing that the Egyptian sculptor was called "sankh", which means "creating life." By creating a form, the artist, as it were, magically brought it to life.
Dozens of statuettes depicting servants and slaves were also placed in the tombs, which differed from the portraits of pharaohs and noble persons by transferring only typical ethnic features of the Egyptians, without any hint of portraiture. Their purpose is to serve their masters in the afterlife. Made of brightly colored wood and stone, they are a realistic representation of peasants, cooks, porters, etc.
The tombs of the pharaohs, temple premises, royal palaces were filled with various sculptures, which constituted an organic part of the buildings.
The main images developed by sculptors were images of the reigning pharaohs. Although the needs of the cult required the creation of images of numerous gods, the image of a deity, made according to rigid schemes, often with the heads of animals and birds, did not become central in Egyptian sculpture: in most cases it was a mass and inexpressive product. Of much greater importance was the artistic development of the type of the earthly ruler, his nobles, and, over time, ordinary people. From the beginning of the III millennium BC. e. a certain canon was formed in the interpretation of the pharaoh: he was depicted sitting on a throne in a pose of dispassionate calmness and greatness, the master emphasized his enormous physical strength and size (powerful arms and legs, torso). During the Middle Kingdom, the masters overcome the idea of \u200b\u200bcold greatness and the faces of the pharaohs acquire individual features. For example, the statue of Senusret III with deep-seated, slightly sloping eyes, a large nose, thick lips and protruding cheekbones quite realistically conveys an incredulous character, with a sad and even tragic expression on his face.The masters felt more free when they portrayed nobles and especially commoners. Here the constraining influence of the canon is overcome, the image is developed more boldly and more realistic, its psychological characteristics are more fully conveyed. The art of individual portraiture, deep realism, and a sense of movement flourished during the New Kingdom, especially during the short period of Akhenaten's reign (Amarna period). The sculptural images of the pharaoh himself, his wife Nefertiti, and members of his family are distinguished by skillful rendering inner peace, deep psychologism, high artistic skill.
In addition to the round sculpture, the Egyptians willingly turned to relief. Many walls of tombs and temples, various structures are covered with magnificently executed relief compositions, most often depicting nobles in the circle of their family, in front of the altar of the deity, among their fields, etc.
A certain canon was also developed in relief paintings: the main "hero" was portrayed larger than the others, his figure was conveyed in a double plan: head and legs in profile, shoulders and chest - in front. All figures were usually painted.
Along with the reliefs, the walls of the tombs were covered with contour or pictorial paintings, the content of which was more varied than the reliefs. Scenes were often reproduced in these paintings everyday life: artisans at work in a workshop, fishermen fishing, peasants plowing, street vendors at their goods, litigation, etc. The Egyptians achieved great skill in depicting wildlife - landscapes, animals, birds, where the restraining influence of ancient traditions was felt much less ... A striking example is the paintings of the tombs of nomarchs found in Beni Hasan and dating back to the time of the Middle Kingdom.
All ancient Egyptian art obeyed cult canons. Relief and sculpture were no exception. The masters left outstanding sculptural monuments to descendants: statues of gods and people, figures of animals.
The man was sculpted in a static but majestic posture, standing or sitting. At the same time, the left leg was extended forward, and the arms were either folded on the chest or pressed against the body.
Some sculptors were required to create figures of working people. At the same time, a strict canon existed for the depiction of a specific occupation - the choice of the moment characteristic of this particular type of work.
Among the ancient Egyptians, statues could not exist separately from religious buildings. They were first used to decorate the retinue of the deceased pharaoh and were placed in a tomb located in a pyramid. These were relatively small figures. When the kings began to be buried near the temples, the roads to these places were forced by many huge statues. They were so large that no one paid attention to the details of the image. The statues were erected at the pylons, in the courtyards and already had artistic significance.
During the times of the Old Kingdom, a round shape is established in Egyptian sculpture, and the main types of composition arise. For example, the statue of Mikerin depicts a standing man with his left leg extended and his hands pressed to his body. Or the statue of Rahotep and his wife Nofret represents a seated figure with hands on his knees.
The Egyptians thought of the statue as the "body" of spirits and people. According to information from the Egyptian texts, the god left the temple dedicated to him and reunited with his sculptural image. And the Egyptians revered not the statue itself, but the embodiment of the invisible god in it.
Some statues were erected in temples in memory of “participation” in a certain ritual. Others were given to temples in order to provide the person depicted with the constant protection of the deity. With prayers and appeals to the dead for the gift of offspring is associated the custom of bringing female figurines to the tombs of ancestors, often with a child in their arms or next to them (ill. 49). Small figurines of deities, usually reproducing the appearance of the main cult statue of the temple, were presented by believers with prayers for well-being and health. The images of women and ancestors were an amulet that promoted the birth of children, for it was believed that the spirits of ancestors could infiltrate the women of the clan and be reborn.
The statues were created for ka the deceased. As ka it was necessary to “recognize” his own body and enter it, and the statue itself “to replace” the body, each face of the statue was endowed with a certain unique individuality (with the generality of indisputable rules of compositions). So already in the era of the Old Kingdom, one of the achievements of ancient Egyptian art appears - a sculptural portrait. This was also facilitated by the practice of covering the faces of the deceased with a layer of plaster - the creation of death masks.
Already in the era of the Old Kingdom, a narrow, closed room was built in the mastabs next to the prayer house ( serdab), in which the statue of the deceased was placed. There was a small window at the eye level of the statue so that the living in the statue ka the deceased could take part in the funeral rites. It is believed that these statues served to preserve the earthly form of the deceased, as well as in case of the loss or death of the mummy.
The spirit of the deceased endowed the statues with life force, after which they lived for eternal life. For this reason, we never see images of people, for example, in a dying or posthumous form, on the contrary, there is an exceptional vitality. The statues were made in full size, and the deceased was portrayed as extremely young.
In statues and reliefs, a person was always portrayed as seeing, since it was with the eye that the symbolism of the “vision” of the deceased and his gaining vitality was associated. Moreover, the sculptor made the eyes especially large in the figures. Οʜᴎ they were always inlaid with colored stones, blue beads, faience, rock crystal (ill. 50). For the eye for the Egyptians is a receptacle of the spirit and has a powerful force of influence on the living and on spirits
Since through the nostrils the life-giving power of the lotus, symbolizing magical revival, was “inhaled”, a person's nose was usually depicted with an emphasized cut of the nostrils.
Since the lips of the mummy were endowed with the ability to pronounce the words of the afterlife confession, the lips themselves were never abstracted into a schematized sign.
In the creation of the type of seated statues (with hands on their knees), statues of the pharaohs, made for the holiday, played an important role cheb-sed. His goal was the "revival" of an elderly or sick ruler, for there was a perception from the earliest times that the fertility of the earth was due to the physical condition of the king. During the ritual, a statue of the ritually "killed" pharaoh was erected, while the ruler himself, "rejuvenated" anew, performed a ritual beau in front of the tent. Then the statue was buried and the coronation ceremony was repeated. After that, it was believed that the ruler full of strength again sits on the throne.
The statues of the same person placed in the tombs could be of different types, for they displayed various aspects of the funeral cult˸ one type conveyed the individual features of a person, without a wig, in fashionable clothes, the other had a more generalized interpretation of the face, was in an official girdle and a magnificent wig.
The desire to ensure the "eternal" performance of the funeral cult led to the fact that statues of priests began to appear in tombs. The presence of figurines of children is also natural, for their immutable responsibility was to take care of the funeral cult by their parents.
The first ushabti (they were discussed in question no. 2) date back to the 21st century. BC. In the event that it was not possible to achieve a portrait resemblance to the deceased from the ushebti, the name and title of the owner, whom she replaced, was written on each figurine. Tools and sacks were put into the hands of the ushabti, and they were painted on their backs. Figurines of scribes, overseers, boatmen appear (ill. 51-a). For ushabti, baskets, hoes, hammers, jugs, etc. were made of earthenware or bronze. The number of ushabti in one tomb could reach several hundred. There were those who bought 360 pieces - one person for each day of the year. Poor people bought one or two ushabti, but together with them they put a list of three hundred and sixty such "helpers" into the coffin.
During individual rituals, sculptures of bound prisoners were used. Οʜᴎ probably replaced living prisoners during appropriate rituals (say, killing defeated enemies).
The Egyptians believed that the constant presence of sculptural images of participants in a religious ritual in the temple, as it were, ensures the eternal performance of this ritual. For example, a part of the sculptural group has survived, where the gods of Horus and Thoth wear a crown on the head of Ramses III - this is how the coronation ceremony was reproduced, in which the priests in the corresponding masks played the role of the gods. Installing it in the temple was supposed to contribute to the long reign of the king.
Found in tombs namely wooden the statues are associated with a funeral ritual (repeated raising and lowering of the statue of the deceased as a symbol of the victory of Osiris over Set).
The statues of the pharaohs were placed in shrines and temples in order to place the pharaoh under the protection of the deity and at the same time glorify the ruler.
The giant colossal statues of the pharaohs embodied the most sacred aspect of the essence of kings - their ka.
In the era of the Old Kingdom, the canonical figures of the pharaoh appear˸ standing with his left leg extended forward, wearing a short girdle and a crown, sitting with a royal scarf on his head (ill. 53, 53-a), kneeling, with two vessels in his hands (ill. 54) , in the form of a sphinx, with gods, with a queen (ill. 55).
In the eyes of ancient Eastern people, the physical and mental health of the king was understood as a condition for him to successfully fulfill his function as an intermediary between the world of people and the world of the gods. Since the pharaoh for the Egyptians acted as a pledge and embodiment of the "collective" well-being and prosperity of the country, he not only could not have flaws (which can also cause disasters), but also surpass mere mortals in physical strength. With the exception of the short Amarna period, the pharaohs were always portrayed as endowed with immense physical strength.
The main requirement for the sculptor is to create the image of the pharaoh as the son of God. This determined the choice artistic means... With the unchanged portraiture, a clear idealization of the appearance appeared, there was invariably developed muscles, a gaze directed into the distance. Pharaoh's divinity was supplemented by details for example, Khafre is guarded by a falcon, the sacred bird of the god Horus
The Amarna period was marked by a completely new approach to conveying the image of a person in sculpture and relief. The pharaoh's desire to be different from the images of his predecessors - gods or kings - resulted in the fact that in the sculpture he appeared, as it is believed, without any embellishment on a skinny, with folds, neck - an elongated face, with drooping half-open lips, a long nose, half-closed eyes, puffy belly, thin ankles of legs with full hips
Statues of individuals.
The Egyptians have always imitated the official sculpture - the images of the pharaohs and gods, strong, strict, calm and majestic. Sculptures never express anger, surprise, or smile. The proliferation of statues of private persons was facilitated by the fact that the nobles began to arrange their own tombs.
The statues were of different sizes - from a few meters to very small figures of a few centimeters.
Sculptors, sculpting private individuals, were also obliged to adhere to the canon, above all frontality and symmetry in the construction of the figure (ill. 60, 61). All the statues have their heads equally erect and hold almost the same attributes in their hands.
In the era of the Old Kingdom, sculptural statues of married couples with children (ill. 62, 63), scribes sitting with their legs tucked in, with an unfolded scroll of papyrus on their knees appear - at first only the royal sons were depicted in this way
Horus Temple in Edfu
Material and processing.
Already in the Old Kingdom there were sculptural images of red and black granite, diorite-quartzite (ill. 68), alabaster, slate, limestone, sandstone. The Egyptians loved hard rocks.
Images of gods, pharaohs, nobles were made mainly of stone (granite, limestone, quartzite). It should be said that for small figures of people and animals, bone and faience were most often used. Servant statuettes were made of wood. Ushebti were made of wood, stone, glazed faience, bronze, clay, wax. Only two ancient Egyptian copper sculptures are known.
Inlaid eyes with contoured relief lids are typical of statues made of limestone, metal or wood.
The limestone and wood sculptures were originally painted.
Sculptors of late Egypt began to prefer granite and basalt to limestone and sandstone. But bronze became the favorite material. Images of gods and figurines of animals dedicated to them were made from it. Some are made up of separately made parts, cheap ones were cast in clay or plaster molds. Most of these figurines were made using the lost wax technique, which was widespread in Egypt; the sculptor made a blank of the future image out of clay, covered it with a layer of wax, worked out the conceived shape, coated it with clay and put it in the oven. The wax flowed out through a specially left hole, and poured into the resulting void liquid metal... When the bronze cooled down, the clay mold was broken and the product was taken out, ĸᴏᴛᴏᴩᴏᴇ was carefully processed and then its surface was polished. For each product, its own form was created and the product turned out to be the only one.
Bronze items were usually decorated with engraving and inlays. For the latter, thin gold and silver wires were used. The eyes of the ibis were circled in gold stripes, necklaces of gold threads were worn on the necks of bronze cats.
The famous ancient Egyptian colossus statues are interesting in terms of the complexity of processing hard materials.
On the western bank of the Nile, opposite Luxor, there are two statues dating from the New Kingdom, called the Colossi of Memnon. According to one version of Egyptologists, the Greek name Memnom comes from one of the names of Amenhotep III. According to another version, after the 27 ᴦ earthquake. BC. one of the statues was significantly damaged, and, probably, due to the fluctuations of night and day temperatures, the cracked stone began to emit continuous sounds. This began to attract pilgrims, who believed that in this way the Ethiopian king Memnon, the character of Homer's Iliad, welcomed the goddess of the morning dawn Eos, his mother.
At the same time, there is an intelligible explanation of how the colossi of quartzite 20-21 meters high, each 750 tons, were also erected on a pedestal of quartzite weighing 500 tons manually, can not found. Moreover, it was still necessary to deliver stone monoliths (or parts of them?) For 960 kilometers up along the Nile.
Sculpture of the early dynastic period
comes mainly from three large centers where the temples were located - On, Abydos and Koptos. The statues served as an object of worship, rituals and had a dedicatory purpose. A large group of monuments was associated with the "cheb-sed" ritual - the ritual of renewing the physical strength of the pharaoh. This type includes the types of seated and walking figures of the king, executed in round sculpture and relief, as well as the image of his ritual run. The list of Cheb-Sed monuments includes a statue of Pharaoh Khasekhem, represented as sitting on a throne in ritual attire. This sculpture indicates an improvement in technique: the figure has the correct proportions and is 3D modeled. Here the main features of the style have already been identified - the monumentality of the form, the frontality of the composition. The pose of the statue, which fits into the rectangular block of the throne, is motionless; straight lines prevail in the outlines of the figure. Hasekhem's face is portrait, although his features are largely idealized. Attention is drawn to the setting of the eyes in an orbit with a convex eyeball. A similar technique of execution extended to the entire group of monuments of that time, being a characteristic stylistic feature of the portraits of the Early Kingdom. By the same period, the canonicity of the pre-dynastic period, standing at full height, was established and gave way in the plasticity of the Early Kingdom to the correct transmission of the proportions of the human body.
Sculpture of the Old Kingdom
Significant changes in sculpture take place precisely in the Middle Kingdom, which is largely due to the presence and creative rivalry of many local schools that gained independence during the collapse. Since the time of the XII Dynasty, ritual statues have been used more widely (and, accordingly, are made in large quantities): they are now installed not only in tombs, but also in temples. Among them, images associated with the rite of heb-sed (ritual revival of the life force of the pharaoh) still dominate. The first stage of the ritual was associated with the symbolic murder of the aged Vladyka and was performed over his statue, which in composition resembled canonical images and sculptures of sarcophagi. This type includes the Cheb-Sed statue of Mentuhotep-Nebhepetra, depicting the pharaoh in an emphatically frozen pose with his arms crossed on his chest. The style is distinguished by a large proportion of conventionality and generalization, in general, typical for sculptural monuments of the beginning of the era. In the future, sculpture comes to a more subtle modeling of faces and greater plastic dismemberment: this is manifested first of all in female portraits and images of private persons.
The iconography of the kings also changed over time. By the time of the XII Dynasty, the idea of \u200b\u200bthe divine power of the pharaoh was giving way in images to persistent attempts to convey human individuality. The heyday of sculpture with an official theme falls on the reign of Senusret III, who was depicted in all ages - from childhood to adulthood. The best of these images are the obsidian head of Senusret III and the sculptural portraits of his son Amenemhat III. The original find of the masters of local schools can be considered a type of cubic statue - an image of a figure enclosed in a monolithic stone block.
The art of the Middle Kingdom is the era of the flourishing of small forms plastic, mostly still associated with the funeral cult and its rituals (sailing on a boat, offering sacrificial gifts, etc.). The figurines were carved out of wood, covered with soil and painted. Quite often, whole multi-figured compositions were created in a round sculpture (just as it was customary in the reliefs of the Old Kingdom
Sculpture of the New Kingdom
In the art of the New Kingdom, a sculptural group portrait appears, especially images of a married couple.
The art of relief acquires new qualities. This artistic field is significantly influenced by some genres of literature that were widespread in the era of the New Kingdom: hymns, war chronicles, love lyrics. Often, texts in these genres are combined with relief compositions in temples and tombs. In the reliefs of the Theban temples, there is an increase in decorativeness, free variation in the techniques of bas-relief and high relief in combination with colorful paintings. Such is the portrait of Amenhotep III from the tomb of Haymkhet, which combines different heights of relief and in this respect is an innovative work. Reliefs are still arranged in registers, allowing for the creation of narrative cycles of enormous spatial extent
Wooden sculpture of one of the Egyptian gods with a ram's head
Sculpture of the Late Kingdom
At the time of Kush in the field of sculpture, the skills of ancient high craftsmanship were partly fading away - for example, portrait images on funeral masks and statues are often replaced by conventionally idealized ones. At the same time, the technical skill of sculptors is improving, manifesting itself mainly in the decorative field. One of the best portrait works is the head of the Mentuemkhet statue, made in a realistic and authentic manner.
During the reign of Sais, statism, conventional outlines of faces, canonical poses, and even a semblance of an "archaic smile" characteristic of the art of the Early and Ancient Kingdom again became relevant in sculpture. However, the masters of Sais interpret these techniques only as a topic for stylization. At the same time, Sais art creates many wonderful portraits. In some of them, deliberately archaized forms, imitating ancient rules, are combined with rather bold deviations from the canon. So, in the statue of the approximate Pharaoh Psametich I, the canon of a symmetrical image of a seated figure is observed, but, in violation of it, the left leg of the seated person is placed vertically. In the same way, canonically static body shapes and the modern style of depicting faces are freely combined.
In the few monuments of the era of Persian rule, purely Egyptian stylistic features also prevail. Even the Persian king Darius is depicted on the relief in the attire of an Egyptian warrior with sacrificial gifts, and his name is written in hieroglyphs.
Most of the sculptures of the Ptolemaic period are also made in the traditions of the Egyptian canon. However, Hellenistic culture influenced the nature of the interpretation of the face, introducing great plasticity, softness and lyricism.
Ancient Egypt. Male head from the Salt collection. First half of the 3rd millennium BC:
A figurine of a porter Meir. Tomb of Nianhpepi. Dynasty VI, reign of Peggy II (2235-2141 BC). Cairo Museum
PEASANT WITH A WOOL. For earthwork, a hoe was used, which was originally wooden, then metal ones appeared, consisting of two parts: a handle and a lever.
Three bearers of sacrificial gifts. Wood, painting; height 59 cm; length 56 cm; Meir, tomb of Nianhpepi the Black; excavations by the Egyptian Antiquities Service (1894); Dynasty VI, reign of Pepi I (2289-2255 BC).
The state of Ancient Egypt was rich and powerful. It was in Egypt that monumental architecture, a realistic sculptural portrait, and works of art were born.
One of the achievements of the Egyptians was the creation of a human image together with other people. In the art of Ancient Egypt, an interest in the personality and individual characteristics of a person was established.
All ancient Egyptian art obeyed cult canons. Relief and sculpture were no exception. The masters left outstanding sculptural monuments to descendants: statues of gods and people, figures of animals.
The man was sculpted in a static but majestic posture, standing or sitting. At the same time, the left leg was extended forward, and the arms were either folded on the chest or pressed against the body.
Some sculptors were required to create figures of working people. At the same time, a strict canon existed for the depiction of a specific occupation - the choice of the moment characteristic of this particular type of work.
Religious purpose of statues
Among the ancient Egyptians, statues could not exist separately from religious buildings. They were first used to decorate the retinue of the deceased pharaoh and were placed in a tomb located in a pyramid. These were relatively small figures. When the kings began to be buried near the temples, the roads to these places were forced by many huge statues. They were so large that no one paid attention to the details of the image. The statues were erected at the pylons, in the courtyards and already had artistic significance.
In the mind of the Egyptians, man had several entities. Combining them into one whole gave him the hope of gaining eternal life. Therefore, in relief and sculpture, they did not create images that they saw with their own eyes, but what they wanted to see or found most suitable for happiness and eternal peace in the other world.
During the times of the Old Kingdom, a round shape is established in Egyptian sculpture, and the main types of composition arise. For example, the statue of Mikerin depicts a standing man with his left leg extended and his hands pressed to his body. Or the statue of Rahotep and his wife Nofret represents a seated figure with hands on his knees.
In the sculpture of Egypt, you can see not only a single image of a person, but also group compositions where human figures are located on one line. The main figure is 2-3 times larger than the others. The general rule - to create an exaggerated statue of the king - was observed in plane images.
What materials did the sculptors use to make their sculptures? Stone, wood, bronze, clay, ivory. Many huge statues were carved out of granite, basalt or diorite. Statues of real human height were molded from sandstone and limestone and covered with paint.