The Art of Ancient Egypt 3

Relief Sculpture and Painting

The rules of Egyptian art dictated a few things:

• Distortion
• All parts shown
• Displayed in tombs
Periods in Egyptian History
Settling brought about increased populations. Towns grew and took
over neighboring villages. Soon there became a need for some kind
of organized governance. Their solution was the rule of the
Pharaohs.
The Old Kingdom
3100 B.C. – 500 years
Characterized by:

•God like pharaohs

•Pyramids
•Marriage
Old Kingdom (ca. 2649-2150 B.C.)

• In the seated portrait of Khafre, the figure

has the solid, block like form of the hard
diorite stone from which it was carved.
•The Pharaoh is shown as sitting upright and
attentive, but the head has a more lifelike
appearance.
•The Pharaoh was considered both God and
King of Egypt.
• Khafre was considered to be a descendent
of the Ra, the sun god.
Pharaoh Khafre, c. 2600 B.C.
Diorite. 66 inches tall.
Step Pyramid of King Zoser, Saqqara,
Egypt. c. 2681-2662 B.C.
Pharaoh Khafre, c. 2600 B.C.
Diorite. 66 inches tall.
 Religion and the Pyramids

•The pyramid shape developed gradually over time.

•Originally, the Egyptians buried their dead in hidden pits,
but this practice changed.
•Egyptians began to use sun-dried bricks to build
mastabas.
• A mastaba is a low, flat tomb.
•These rectangular tombs had sloping sides and contained
a chapel and a false burial chamber in addition to the true
one hidden deep inside. Step Pyramid of King Zoser, Saqqara, Egypt. c.
•Eventually, mastabas were built without steps, and a 2681-2662 B.C.
point was added on the top, thus creating the true
pyramid form.
OLD KINGDOM
Religion and the Pyramids
• Egyptian religion placed great
importance on the resurrection of the
soul, or ka, and eternal life in the spirit
world after death.
• The body was preserved and protected
in a stone coffin, or sarcophagus, inside
the pyramid for the eventual return of the
ka.
• The eventual return of the ka
guaranteed the body immortality in the
next world.
• Such a tomb served as an elaborate kind
of insurance against final death. The Pyramids of Giza.
Middle Kingdom (ca. 2040-1640 B.C.)
• Much of the sculpture was destroyed in
this period by invaders and by the New
Kingdom rulers who followed.
•A fragment of King Sesotris III is an
example of the skill and sensitivity
demonstrated by the carvers of this period.
• Depicted with a sense of Realism.
• His expression conveys a look that is
troubled and weary.

Fragment of Head of King Sesostris III. Red

Quartzite stone. 6.5” tall.
New Kingdom (ca. 1550-1070 B.C.)
• Nefertiti translates to “the beautiful one has come.”
• Carved from limestone, coated with plaster, and then richly
painted.
• Depicted with more realism than the earlier periods before.
• Continued tradition of figure depiction in Egyptian art. Most
portraits are frontal and depict serious facial expressions.
• Mother-in-law of King Tutankhamen and was Queen of
Egypt for a short period before the rise of King Tut.

Queen Nefertiti. c. 1360 B.C.

Limestone. 20” inches high.
The Middle Kingdom
2050 B.C.
Characterized by:

•Pharaoh as High Priest, interpreter between

God and people
The New Kingdom
1570 B.C.
Characterized by:

•Extended rule
•Change in religion
•Conquer of Egypt in 332 B.C.
Wall Painting
What can you tell me about this Mask?
Egyptian Architecture
• The Sphinx is another
example of the Pharaoh
Khafre demonstrating his
power.
•The massive size and the
head of Pharaoh Khafre on the
body of a lion was intended to
demonstrate the power of the
pharaoh.
•Carved from stone at the site
and stands at 65 feet tall.

The Great Sphinx of Giza, with the Pyramid of Khafre

in the background.
Rules of Egyptian Art
• Every part of the body must be
shown from the most familiar point of
view.
• The head, arms, legs, and feet were
always shown in profile, whereas the
eyes and shoulders were presented as
seen from the front.
• Following these rules paintings and
relief sculptures were distorted and
unnatural.
•Every wall in the tomb was
decorated. Horror Vacui – Fear of
empty spaces.
Fowling Scene from Nebamun’s Tomb. 1400 B.C.
Hieroglyphics
• Hieroglyphics were an early form of
picture writing.
• These symbols, some of which
represented objects, communicated
information and were included in wall
paintings and other art forms to help tell
the story.
•The signs were generally spaced to form
attractive patterns frequently clusters of
squares or rectangles called a cartouche
Slide Review

Fragment of Head of King Sesostris III. Red

Quartzite stone. 6.5” tall. Queen Nefertiti. c. 1360 B.C.
Limestone. 20” inches high.
Slide Review

The Great Sphinx of Giza, with the Pyramid of Khafre

in the background.
Review
• What are the major periods of Egyptian art?

• How are the pyramids used?

• What rules did Egyptian painters and sculptors have

to use in art creation?
Hieroglyphics & Painting
Sculpture & Architecture
Pottery
Jewelry
Characteristics of Ancient Egyptian Art
• heavily influenced by everyday life, especially religion and life after death

• not focused on exact replication, just representations

• all art looked similar to preserve a sense of stability amongst the people

• The Egyptians strictly upheld the style of frontalism, adhering carefully to stylistic rules

• the subject's head is always drawn in profile with the full eye shown

• The upper body is depicted from the front and the legs face in the same direction as the
head with one foot in front of the other

• The person in the picture sits or stands stiff and rigid in a formal posture, but the face is
calm and usually slightly tilted toward the sky.
Stele of Nefertiabet
From Giza
c. 2590 BC (4th Dynasty)
Painted limestone
H 37.5 m; W 52.5 m
 Hieroglyphics and Painting
•Besides pyramids and sphinxes, the Egyptians are known
for hieroglyphics, or a form of picture writing.
•Hieroglyphics use small pictures which represent different
words, actions, or ideas.
•Many ancient Egyptian paintings have survived due to
Egypt's extremely dry climate.
•The paintings were often made with the intent of making
a pleasant afterlife for the deceased. The themes included
journey through the afterworld or protective deities
introducing the deceased to the gods of the underworld (such
as Osiris).
•Some tomb paintings show activities that the deceased
were involved in when they were alive and wished to carry on
doing for eternity.
Wall painting of Nefertari
•Some hieroglyphs were also painted relief sculptures
Egypt West Bank Tombs
 Ancient Egyptian Architecture

Scant tree growth prevented the extensive use of wood as a building material.

• Both sun-dried and kiln-dried bricks were used extensively. Fine sandstone, limestone, and granite
were available for obelisks, sculpture, and decorative uses.
•
All dwelling houses, built of timber or of sun-baked bricks, have disappeared

• Only temples and tombs have survived. Their walls were immensely thick and built using durable
materials like stone

• The belief in existence beyond death (reincarnation) resulted in existing architecture of utmost
impressiveness and permanence.

• Even during periods of foreign rule, Egyptian architecture clung to its native characteristics,
adopting almost no elements or influence from other cultures.
Egypt, El Giza, Great Pyramid also known as "Pyramid of Cheops" or
"Khufu's Pyramid" 2600-2480 BCE, The base of the pyramid covers
about 13 acres. To build the Great Pyramid it took an about 2,300,000
dressed stone blocks (averaging 2.5 tons each) -- more than any
other structure ever built. The blocks were moved on log rollers and
sledges, and then ramped into place.
Photo, overview of the Sphinx
• The Sphinx is another example of a Pharaoh (Khafre)
demonstrating his power.
•The massive size and the head of Pharaoh Khafre on the body
of a lion was intended to demonstrate the power of the
pharaoh.
•Carved from stone at the site and stands at 65 feet tall.

Pharaoh Khafre, c. 2600 B.C.

Diorite. 66 inches tall.
 Ancient Egyptian Sculpture

Sculpture In the Round

Statues in the round usually depicted the gods, Pharaohs, or
civic officials, and were composed with special reference to
the maintenance of straight lines
• Of the materials used by the Egyptian, stone was the
most plentiful and permanent

• Sculpture was often painted in vivid hues as well

• Cubic and frontal- echoes in its form the shape of the

stone cube or block from which it was fashioned,

• The front of almost every statue is the most important

part and the figure sits or stands facing strictly to the
front

Bust of Nefertiti
Seated Man Seated Scribe Sebek em hat
The Large Sphinx
Found at Tanis
Pink granite
 Relief Sculpture
• Virtually all the wall-sculptures of the Ancient Egyptian Empire are in the form of bas-relief (low-relief)

• Relief-composition merely meant arranging the figures in horizontal lines so as to record an event or represent an
action.

• The principal figures were distinguished from others by their size - gods were shown larger than men, kings larger
than their followers, and the dead larger than the living.
 Ancient Egyptian Pottery
Pottery was used by the ancient Egyptians in much the same way we use modern kitchen
containers or plastic,

Two distinct Types

Nile silt ware - Nile clay. After being fired, it has a red-brown color. This type of pottery was used
for common, utilitarian purposes, though at times it might have been decorated or painted. Blue
painted pottery was somewhat common during the New Kingdom (1,550-1,069 BC).

Marl Clay – made from material found around Qena in Upper Egypt. This type of pottery was
usually thought superior to the common Nile mud pottery, and so it was often used for decorative
and other functions.
 Ancient
Egyptian
Funerary Masks
& Coffins and
Jewelry

Egyptian, Burial Mask of King

Tutankhamen, gold and inlaid
stones, Cairo Museum, Egypt.
Canopic Jars
 The ancient Egyptians placed great importance on the religious significance of certain
sacred objects, which was heavily reflected in their jewelry motifs

Tutanhkamun pendant

19th Dynasty inlaid

diadem, or wig
Tutanhkamun lapis scarab