The ancient Egyptians have no word that corresponded exactly to our use of abstract word
This does not mean that Egyptians were not aware of an aesthetic content in their monuments. These monuments and other representational items were mainly functional.
To represent was to create, and Egyptian representation in both two and three dimensions was bent on creating images that would function as a part of the cults of the gods and the dead.
Statues were manifestations of the gods. Images of the dead ensured their survival in the Afterlife. Representations of temple cult and presentations of offerings ensured their enactment for all time.
Principles of Egyptian Art
Most elements of Egyptian art remained remarkably stable over the period that represents the ancient Egyptian civilization without strong outside influence. The same basic conventions and quality of observation started at a high level and remained near that level over the period.
Completeness and exactness were preferred to prettiness and cosmetic representation. Artists, including sculptors, outline draftsmen, and painters, were regarded as technicians who were instructed to follow very specific rules.
Egyptian art was concerned above all with ensuring the continuity of the universe, the gods, the king and the people. The artists therefore depicted things not as they saw them but as idealized symbols intended to be more significant and enduring than was otherwise possible in the real world. The best, most inspired Egyptian art therefore
blends the real with the ideal.
-Grid system:
Ancient Egyptian artists used vertical and horizontal reference lines in order to maintain the correct proportions in their work. In this way, the human body was reproduced in the same manner, regardless of its size or maker.
Grid lines were usually made by dipping a length of string in red paint, stretching it, and snapping it against the drawing surface.
Frontality
Frontality is one of the most striking characteristics of ancient Egypt. In paintings and reliefs, the style of frontality means that the head of the character is drawn in profile, while the body is drawn from a front view.
However, even though the face is in profile, the eye is drawn in full, as it would be seen from the front. The legs always face the same direction as the head, with one foot forward and one back. The head is at right angles to the body.
Symbolism:
It was through symbols that the Ancient Egyptians formed their ideas and beliefs.
Symbolism was a primary form of Ancient Egyptian thought. Artists utilized symbols in the design and construction of all objects and monuments. Also in magic and religious practices, the Egyptians relied on symbolism.
Aspects of Egyptian symbolism
Symbolism of size: The different sizes of gods and humans, kings and subjects, tomb owner and servants, parent and child are symbolic of relative status and power.
In the different scenes, Kings and gods are depicted in a larger scale.
Symbolism of location
The symbolism of location refers to the specific location of a representation, object, building or place( sacred sites). It also refers to the specific alignment of all these elements ( East and west, Upper and Lower Egypt)
Symbolism of material
Many materials had symbolic significance. Gold was considered a material with divine symbolism, due to its color and brightness.
Silver also had a divine association, it symbolizes the moon. Also, the bones of the gods were said to be made of silver
Symbolism of color
This was one of the most important aspects of Egyptian symbolism.
Red symbolizes the color of fire, sun and blood.
Blue was associated with heaven and water.
Yellow was associated with the sun and also with the bodies of gods.
Black was a color related to the Underworld, it was also symbolic of fertility.
Green was the color of vegetation and thus of life itself.
White was a symbol of purity and also a solar color
(alternative to yellow).
The symbolism of numbers:
Several numbers had symbolic significance in Ancient Egypt.
Two symbolized duality which was at the heart of the Egyptians concept of the universe: light and dark, east and west, etc.
Three was the number associated with the plurality.
Four symbolizes completeness; it was related to the Cardinal Points.
Reliefs were mainly of three types:
a) incised, which means the outline and some details of the figures were engraved using a sharp-edged tool.
b) Sunk relief, where the outlines of figures were incised and the bodies were modeled so that their most raised parts are at the same level with the wall surface.
c) Bas relief, where the surface between the figures was cut deep, so that the modeled figures project outwards.
Sculpture
Statues are considered to be sculptures in the round or three-dimensional representations.
Sculpture production was mainly controlled by the King who had to provide two types of statues: royal and divine.
Ordinary people were favored with statues for their own, they were mainly high officials and their statues were considered a gift was given by the king.
The Ancient Egyptian sculptors had to free the statue out of the block of stone. In order to produce a figure that would last for eternity, they gave it a blocky shape to provide it with stability.
Backs of figures were supported by pillars or slabs, arms were clenched close to the bodies, legs were attached to the chairs. The figure was not completely freed out of the block in order to provide the stability needed.
Lines of inscriptions were carved on the statues in order to secure the identity of its owner.
Only rare examples of statues gave names of the sculptors probably because:
*1- the presence of other persons’ names would mislead the soul.
*2-Modeling the statue was not an individual task, it was the result of teamwork.
However, some of the sculptors were very known, they mainly occupied the position of chief sculptors who worked during the reign of powerful kings such as Men and Bak who worked under Amenhotep III, Thutmosis and Ipu under Akhenaton, Userhat under Seti I, and Qen under Ramses II.
Sculptors names in the Ancient Egyptian language:
In the Ancient Egyptian language, the sculptor was designated as sanx, a very significant word which literally means to revive, make live or preserve. It shows that in the Ancient Egyptians’ mentality, the sculptor was thought of as a creator who gave life to the statue or created life out of the block.
Another designation for “sculptor” was TAw mDAt which literally means “bearer of chisel”. This name refers to one of the important tools used by the sculptors.
There was also another name for sculptor which is gnwty
Workshops:
Sculptors were attached to official institutions and were not allowed to travel on their own from a place to the other; it was the king who had the authority to send them in a specific commission or even to work temporarily for a favored official. In some examples, sculptors traveled to the quarries and began their work on the spot in order to lighten the stone block before its transportation.
Sculptors and artists were organized in a temple or royal workshops and operated in teams that worked under a master.
Little is known about the division of labor in producing statuary. On the walls of the tomb of the vizier Rekhmirea who served under Thutmosis III, the finishing techniques appear to a limited extent.
Several workers are using round stones wrapped in leather or other materials to smooth a statue’s surface while another worker is using a paintbrush to decorate it. Chief sculptors and several master artisans participated in the work by directing earlier stages of work or completing a statue.
Statues designation in the Ancient Egyptian language:
The word used to define a statue was twt
The root word means “ to be like”. As a noun, the word became “likeness”, or “perfected likeness” and designated statues, relief sculpture, and paintings.
From the Middle Kingdom onwards, the word twt was often written with the image of a statue as a determinative and much more frequently with the figure of a mummy. This was probably due to the fact that the mummy was a kind of “likeness”.
After the mummies and the statues were placed in the tomb, they were enlivened during the mouth-opening ritual. At this point, the statue might be referred to as a twt anx , a living image
The earliest sculpture in the round is a half life-size oval terracotta head found at Merimde Beni Salama (50 kilometers north west of Cairo). It dates to the Predynastic Period (about 5000 B.C.) and is now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. It is about 10 cm high and probably belonged to a deity.
The features of the head are summarized, the eyes are deep recesses, the nose gently protrudes and the mouth is contracted. Traces of ochre pigment are visible, numerous holes are distributed around the skull probably to fix tufts of hair. There is a deep hole under the chin suggesting that it was fixed to a pole.
Royal Sculpture
Representations of the Pharaohs in the Ancient Egyptian statuary had many functions: propagandistic, religious, commemorative, magical, and decorative.
Found in temples, tombs, palaces and exceptionally private homes, they were made of various materials: most frequently stone, and less frequently wood, metals or faience.
- The surfaces of the statues were usually painted or sometimes overlaid with gold foil, but only a few statues now have parts of this coating. Like other cult objects, royal statues were believed to be endowed with life, which was granted through the Opening of the Mouth ceremony.
The ruler was most commonly represented in human form, he also figures as a half-human half-animal being. The most popular type of this statue is the sphinx combining the body of a reclining lion with the head of a pharaoh. The oldest known sphinx is a fragmentarily preserved sphinx of king Djedefre( now in the Louvre) and its most monumental version is the Great Sphinx of Khafre at Giza.
Totally human statues of the king show him either alone or accompanied by one (dyad) or two ( ) or more figures. These are members of his family and ancestors, various gods in their human, half-animal, or complete animal form.
The king represented alone more frequently appeared seated, standing, kneeling or less frequently striding.
Most frequently the king is represented barefoot, wearing a short kilt and a broad collar on his nude torso.
Most royal effigies are carved in one monolithic block with a back pillar.
For many reasons many inscriptions found on royal statues may not be a satisfactory criterion in their dating. Many statues were usurped by later rulers, sometimes more than once and their inscriptions were then recarved.
Seated royal statues occur as early as the Second Dynasty. The first known life-size statue of a king in this attitude is that of king Djeser (Egyptian Museum, Cairo), found in Saqqara.
Monumental versions of this type later decorated entrances to Egyptian temples. Being an important instrument of political and religious propaganda, seated royal statues usually bear the heraldic scene depicting the unification of Lower and Upper Egypt.
The earliest known stone portraits of a pharaoh were found at Hierakonpolis, they are a pair of statues representing King Khasekhemwy ( one is made of schist and is actually in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and the other is of limestone and is now in Oxford).
The statue of Khasekhemwy is made of schist(2nd dynasty). It was found at Hierakonpolis in 1897-98. The king is shown seated in majesty, on a low-backed throne. He is wrapped in the cloak of the jubilee festivals (Heb-Sed). His head is surmounted by the white crown of upper Egypt. The right-hand rests on the lap while the left one is pressed against the torso. The feet are close to each other. In front of them, the king’s Horus name is carved. The missing part of the head was never found.
The inscription on the base tells the number of rebels smitten by the king in Lower Egypt. They were 47,209! After this successful conquest, the king changed his Horus name from Khasekhem “The Powerful one appears” to Khasekhemwy “The Two powerful ones appear ”. The two gods Horus and Seth were represented upon the Serekh.
Old Kingdom Royal Statues
Statue of King Djeser:
This statue is considered the first life-size statue in Ancient Egypt (143 m.high). King Djeser is represented sitting on a throne, his body is enveloped in the jubilee mantle. The statue was made of limestone entirely covered with a layer of white plaster which was then painted. The king is wearing an ample wig surmounted by the nemes headdress.
A false ceremonial beard is attached to the king’s chin, there are also traces of a thin mustache on his lip.
The eyes were inlaid. The king is represented sitting on a an elevated throne with a high back. The inscription carved on the its base mentions the royal Horus name nTry-Xt (the Divine Body).
The statue was found in the serdab of the funerary complex of the king at Saqqara, and was replaced by a replica. The serdab has two halls in its façade in order to enable the dead king to look out through the eyes of the statue and see all the offerings and religious rituals that take place in the complex.
They also enable him to watch the stars in the northern sky where, according to the beliefs of that period, the world of eternal life was situated.
Statuette of King Khufu
This is an ivory statuette of about 7 cm high. It was found at Abydos in 1903, in the temple of Khenti.
This is our only complete representation of Khufu. The cartouche carved upon the left side of the throne is totally broken. If the king’s Horus name was not preserved upon the right side, it would have been impossible to know that it belongs to the builder of the Great Pyramid.
The king is represented as an aged man, with a smile upon his face. He wears the red crown of Lower Egypt and the Shendjit, the short kilt. His right hand is clenched upon the chest and he holds the ceremonial flail. The left-hand rests upon his lap.
When the statue was found, the head was missing. It was found three weeks later, then was reunited with the statue’s body.
Statue of King Khafrea:
The diorite statue of King Khafrea was discovered in 1860 by Auguste Mariette in a pit in the king’s valley temple at Giza. It is a masterpiece of sculpture in the round. It is characterized by the majesty of its pose, the perfection of the modeling and polish and the symbolism of its components.
Khafrea is shown sitting on a throne in the form of a seat supported by two lions. On each side of the throne the motif of the “Unification of the Two Lands”-tAwy- is represented.
The king wears the nemes headdress and the Shendjit. Before his head the falcon god Horus appears stretching his wings.
Middle Kingdom Royal Statues
* King Montuhotep Nebhepetrea II-( 11th Dynasty):
Many features of the statue place the king in relation with Osiris such as the black skin, the curved beard and the position of the arm crossed on the chest.
The provincial art is also expressed by the strong face, the heavy mouth and broad nose, the thick legs and massive feet.
The whole statue reflects an impression of power, dignity
and stability.
* King Senusert III
This is the granite statue of King Senusert III. It is about 150 cm. high, and was found at Thebes, in front of the temple of King Montuhotep Nebhepetre II.
This is one of the oldest examples of a royal statue in the attitude of prayer. The king wears the nemes-headdress, with a frontal uraeus. The hands are put falt upon his projected kilt.
The statue is highly polished. His body is admirably sculptured to illustrate the strength of the king.
Also, the king’s eyes with the heavy lids and realistic wrinkles between the eyes, as well as the enormous ears express the king’s power. After the political circumstances of the First Intermediate Period, the expression on royal statues of the 12th Dynasty was brutal and severe.
New Kingdom Royal statues
Kneeling statue of King Thutmosis III:
This type of statues is first found in the statuary of Khafrea. The kneeling statue of Thutmosis III is one of the masterpieces of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. It is made of marble and was found at Deir el Madina.
It is about 26 cm. high. The king is shown kneeling on a base, he is wearing the nemes-headdress and the Shendjit- kilt.
The two spherical jars held by the king are known as the nu-jars, they were supposed to be filled with wine or milk. On the back pillar, the text gives his name and titles, and informs us that the offering is made to Amun
The image of the king is full of youth and gentleness. It is a replica of many larger statues of the king. Most probably the statue was offered as an ex-voto in one of the Theban temples, then stolen and hidden at Deir el Madina.
The bust of King Amenhotep IV (Akhenaton)-18th Dyansty:
It was made os sandstone and was found at Karnak in the temple of Aten. It is about 153 cm. high.
The statues of King Akhenaten introduce a new art style which breaks with the traditional royal iconography.
This was one of the statues erected by the King in the temple of Aten at Karnak at the beginning of his reign.
These were the first statues that introduced the new conception of the king as in intermediate between God and men.
Akhenaton’s features included long half-closed eyes with heavy eye-lids, long delicate nose, protruding mouth, long ears with pierced lobes, wrinkle lines on the neck, deformed body with protruding belly and round breast.
Divine Sculpture
Divine statues housed the spirits of ancient Egyptian gods. They were considered to be alive through rituals.
Divinities are represented in three major forms: Human figures, animal figures or a mixture of the two
Divine statues had several different applications: Cult status, votive statues, and guardian statues.
Cult statues: The cult statues inhabited the temple’s sanctuary, it was the temple’s high priest who was the only human being to access to the sanctuary and to meet the cult statue’ personal needs.
Votive statues were those given to temples and shrines by kings, courtiers, scribes, priests,etc.
The most famous example of a guardian divine figure is the Sphinx at Giza.
* Statuette of Amun:
The statue measures about 58 cm. high, it is made of schist and was found in the court of the cachette at Karnak. It dates back to the end of the 18th Dynasty.
Amun (Imn) means The Hidden One, his sacred animals were the ram and the goose. Many statues show him in his human aspect.
This is one of his human representations, he originally had on his head his two high feathers (Swty) which have now disappeared, he is also represented with a divine beard and a pleated kilt. He is also wearing a wide collar and bracelets.
Since Amun was related to the sky, this explains the presence of the two feathers upon his head, as well as the blue colour of his body.
Initially he was a local god at Thebes and was also one of the Ogdoad of El-Ashmunein.
He became the supreme god of Egypt during the 12th Dynasty and the New Kingdom
.
*The sacred Ibis
Both the ibis and the baboon were sacred animals to Thot (Djehuty), the god of wisdom, learning in Ancient Egypt.
Thot was also the chief of the Ogdoad of El-Ashmunein. He was also a lunar god, and the Master of language and inventor of writing. Therefore he became the scribe of the gods. He was also a magician and a healer.
Since the ibis was his sacred animal, many mummified ibises were buried in special necropolises, particularly in Saqqara and Tuna El-Gebel.
Large numbers of statuettes were dedicated to Thot by the Ancient Egyptians.
This example shows Thot as an ibis whose body was made of wood covered with a gold leaf. His beak, tail and legs are of bronze. The eyes were originally inlaid.
In many examples, this god “ who created the universe by his Word” was often accompanied by figures of Maat, the goddess of cosmic order. Therefore, the example of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo probably had a figurine of the goddess on the small base I front of the bird.
Private Statues
From the time of the Old Kingdom, private individuals may be represented standing, seated or kneeling, the three main poses of Egyptian statuary, equally typical of kings.
From the beginning of the Egyptian art up to Roman times, royal statuary had an obvious impact on the representations of noblemen and gods. This proves that royal sculpture and effigies of others were probably made in the same workshops.
The idea of placing a statue in a serdab was adopted by the officials of the Old Kingdom. Many private statues were also placed outside the serdab either in the chapel or at the bottom of the burial shaft, close to the burial chamber.
From the Middle Kingdom to the New Kingdom, private statues became more obviously objects of public contemplation in the temples of the gods often playing, as the royal statues did, the role of intermediate between gods and humans.
The association with private statuary of the statuettes called models or servant statues is doubtful. These are anonymous figurines displayed in tombs during the end of the Old Kingdom and the Middle Kingdom. They represented the various activities of daily life.
There are five main poses for private status: standing, seated, kneeling, scribe-statues, and block statues.
In the majority of standing statues, the left foot is forward and the arms are held straight by the sides. The seated pose suggests the individual’s readiness to stand up and act.
The statue of Hetepdief:
It was made of red granite, with a height of about 39 cm. It was found at Memphis and dates back to the Third Dynasty.
It is one of the earliest examples of Egyptian private statuary. For the first time, the figure is shown kneeling with both hands resting on the knees.
The heavy and large head seems to sink into the shoulders of the statue. The proportions are not successful, and the knees are flat.
The name and titles of Hetepdief and his father’s name are carved on the base of the statue.
The Horus names of the first three kings of the Second Dynasty are carved on the right shoulder of the statue ( Hetepsekhemwy, Raaneb and Ny-neter)
The statue of Ka-aper called Sheikh el-Balad:
This is a statue of about 112 cm. high, it was made of sycamore wood and was found at Saqqara in a mastaba near the pyramid of Userkaf. It dates back to the 5th Dynasty.
Ka-aper (kA apr) was a chief lector-priest. It was the workmen of Auguste Mariette the french archaeologist (1860) who called the statue “sheikh el-balad” ( the Headman of the village) since they found that the owner of the statue resembled the headman of their own village.
This is one of the known examples of life-size private statues which was sculptured with great realism.
The different feature of the statue reflects the degree of social success of a respectable high official. He has a round head with full cheeks, a short-cut hair marked by a slight relief.
His eyes are inlaid in copper frames, the white made of opaque quartz, and the cornea of rock crystal. Filled with a black paste.
He wears a medium-length straight kilt knotted over his stomach.
The statue’s arms are separately formed and attached to the body. The left arm is made of two pieces joined together. The legs have been restored. The original cane and scepter which were originally in his two hands have disappeared, the actual cane is modern.
The statue of the seated scribe
This is a painted limestone statue of about 51 cm. high. It was at Saqqara in 1893. It dates back to the 5th Dynasty.
The scribe is represented sitting on the ground, his legs are crossed, he has partly unrolled a papyrus on his knees while he holds the remaining roll in his left hand. His right hand originally had a quill pen which no longer exists.
This statue presents the ideal image of a perfect official. The position of scribe was one of the most envied functions in ancient Egypt. Accordingly, many tomb-owners from the Old kingdom until the Late Period were represented in the scribal attitude, either writing or reading.
The body is painted orange-brown. The eyes are inlaid
Although the name of the statue’s owner is unknown, his face is full of realism. The locks of the wig are thrown back over the shoulders in order to focus on the facial features which testify of the attention paid by the scribe.
The cross-legged scribe statue first appeared in the serdab of prince Ka Weaeb of the Fourth Dynasty.
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