Egypt from Narmer to Cleopatra

Transcription

1 Goals Understand the evolution of Egyptian culture and its relationship to the Nile. Understand architectural evolution from mastaba to pyramid in the Old Kingdom. Describe key characteristics of Old Kingdom sculpture. Explain how its form follows its function. Compare and contrast Middle Kingdom sculpture and funerary structures to that of the Old Kingdom. Recognize the proliferation of the rock-cut tomb and mortuary temple and how they replace mastabas and pyramids as the most popular funerary structures in the Middle and New Kingdoms. Identify the Amarna period of the New Kingdom. Compare and contrast its stylistic idiosyncracies to conventions of earlier Egyptian art. Explain reasons why Egyptian art returned to its earlier stylistic conventions and why the Amarna period was short-lived. 1

2 Egypt from Narmer to Cleopatra 2

3 Ancient Egypt Map 3-1 Ancient Egypt. 3

4 Figure 3-1 Judgment of Hu-Nefer, detail of an illustrated Book of the Dead, from the tomb of Hunefer, Thebes, Egypt, 19 th Dynasty, ca BCE. Painted papyrus scroll, 1 3 ½ high; full scroll 18 ½ long. British Museum, London. 4

5 Stylistic Conventions of Egyptian Art Explore the importance of the Palette of Narmer as a blueprint for a formula for figure representation and other conventions seen in Egyptian art for nearly 3000 years. Focus on eternity and the afterlife Believed pharaohs (kings) ruled with the authority of the gods Tombs contained everything pharaohs needed while living Complex burials and mummification, meant to protect the dead person s life force, or ka 5

6 Figure 3-2/3 Palette of King Narmer (left, back; right, front), from Hierakonpolis, Egypt, Predynastic, ca BCE. Slate, 2 1 high. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Probably symbolized the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. On the left Narmer is slaying two foes at once, the man and the falcon, a symbol for the pharoah. The two interwined necks on the right again unification symbology USE OF A HISTORICAL PERSON, HIERARCHICAL ORDER OR SCALE, AND THE SETTING OF THE BODY S STYLE OF DEPICTION 6

7 Mustaba Early Egyptian Tombs Figure 3-4 Section (top), plan (center),and restored view (bottom) of typical Egyptian mastaba tombs. The chapel had a false door through the ka or spirit could enter the world of the living-pyramidal form echoes the original mound that Amen, God of the Sun, arose from called a what the original stone was called a ben-ben 7

8 Figure 3-5 IMHOTEP, Stepped Pyramid and mortuary precinct of Djoser, Saqqara, Egypt, Third Dynasty, ca BCE. FIRST ARTIST (ARCHITECT) RECORDED BY NAME IN HISTORY OLDEST STEPPED TOMB possible stairway to the heavens 8

9 Figure 3-6 Restored view (top) and plan (bottom) of the mortuary precinct of Djoser, Saqqara, Egypt, Third Dynasty, ca BCE. 9

10 Detail of the facade of the north palace of the mortuary precinct of Djoser, Saqqara, Egypt, Third Dynasty, ca BCE. 10

11 The Pyramids at Giza (Gizeh) Pyramids at Giza: from left to right, the pyramids of Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure Giza (Gizeh) Video Link

12 Figure 3-8 Aerial view of the Fourth Dynasty pyramids (looking north), Gizeh, Egypt. From bottom: Pyramids of Menkaure, ca BCE; Khafre, ca BCE; and Khufu, ca BCE. 12

13 Figure 3-9 Section of the Pyramid of Khufu, Gizeh, Egypt, Fourth Dynasty, ca BCE. 13

14 Figure 3-10 Model of the pyramid complex, Gizeh, Egypt. Harvard University Semitic Museum, Cambridge. 1) Pyramid of Menkaure, 2) Pyramid of Khafre, 3) mortuary temple of Khafre, 4) causeway, 5) Great Sphinx, 6) valley temple of Khafre, 7) Pyramid of Khufu, 8) pyramids of the royal family and mastabas of nobles. 14

15 Figure 3-11 Great Sphinx (with Pyramid of Khafre in the background at left), Gizeh, Egypt, Fourth Dynasty, ca BCE. Sandstone, 65 X

16 SCULPTURE OLD KINGDOM Figure 3-13 Menkaure and Khamerernebty(?), from Gizeh, Egypt, Fourth Dynasty, ca BCE. Graywacke, 4 6 1/2 high. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The lotus and the papyrus plants represent Upper and Lower Egypt 16

17 MIDDLE KINGDOM ABOVE: Colossal Statue of a Pharaoh. Egyptian, Middle Kingdom, Dynasty 12, reign of Amenemhat II ca B. C Granodiorite. 17

18 3-38 Portrait statue of Mentuemhet, from Karnak, Egypt, 26th Dynasty, ca BCE. Granite, 4 5 high. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Post Amarna period Notice the older facial features The body still follows the artistic canons about perfection 18

19 ABOVE Seated scribe, from Saqqara, Egypt, Fourth Dynasty, ca BCE. Painted limestone, 1 9 high.. RIGHT Seated statues of Rahotep and Nofret, Maidum, Egypt, Fourth Dynasty, ca BCE. Painted limestone, /8" and 4 high respectively. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. 19

20 Figure 3-15 Ti watching a hippopotamus hunt, relief in the mastaba of Ti, Saqqara, Egypt, Fifth Dynasty, ca BCE. Painted limestone, 4 high. Successs of the hunt a netaphor for success over tribulation faced in afterlife Good over evil, power over weakness Order over Chaos Fresco secco technique 20

21 Fresco Right - Queen Nefertiti playing a game, c BCE. Fresco Above- Musicians fresco rom the tomb of Nebamum c BCE Enjoyment of earthly pleasures sustains the Ka. Female companionship signals rebirth and renewal. 21

22 Tomb of Sarenput II BCE 12 th Dynasty Hierarchical scale Largest figure 22

23 Figure 3-28 Fowling scene, from the tomb of Nebamun, Thebes, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca BCE. Fresco secco, 2 8 high. British Museum, London. 23

24 PART 3 HISTORY AND CONTEXT Chapter 3.1 The Prehistoric and Ancient Mediterranean Hieroglyphics Often images of objects, but can represent ideas or sounds The Rosetta Stone, discovered in 1799, made the translation possible Hieroglyphics Demotic Greek Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Second Edition, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, and M. Kathryn Shields

25 wooden canopic jars Painted wooden canopic jars, c. 700 bce (25th Dynasty). Painted sycamore fig wood, 12¼ high. British Museum, London, England

26 This piece of jewelry features King Senusret II and was found in the tomb of Sit-Hathor Yunet, daughter of Senusret II. Broad Collar from Dynasty 18 worn during the reign of Thutmose III BCE. It is gold inlaid with carnelian glass Scarab ornament King Tutankhamun

27 The Temples Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut (looking southwest), Deir el- Bahri, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca BCE.

28 Figure 3-23 Façade of the temple of Ramses II, Abu Simbel, Egypt, 19th Dynasty, ca BCE. Sandstone, colossi 65 high. This is the pharaoh ruling over Egypt during the life of Moses. 28

29 Interior of the temple of Ramses II, Abu Simbel, Egypt, 19th Dynasty, ca BCE. Sandstone, pillar statues 32 high. 29

30 Aerial view of the temple of Amen-Re, Mut, and Khonsu (looking east), Luxor, Egypt, 18th and 19th Dynasties, begun early 14th century BCE. Karnak 30

31 The Karnak Temple Complex UCLA tour Figure 3-25 Columns and clerestory of the hypostyle hall of the temple of Amen-Re, Karnak, Egypt, 19th Dynasty, ca BCE. 31

32 Figure 3-26 Model of the hypostyle hall, temple of Amen-Re, Karnak, Egypt, 19 th Dynasty, ca BCE. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. 32

33 The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak, comprises a vast mix of decayed temples, chapels, pylons, and other buildings. Building at the complex began during the the Middle Kingdom to the New Kingdom. It is part of the monumental city of Thebes. Karnak is dedicated mainly to Amun-Re. Amun (sometimes called Amen) The Egyptian meaning of Amun is, "hidden" or, the "hidden god". Almost every pharaoh of that dynasty (30) added something to the temple site. In 323 AD, Constantine the Great recognized the Christian religion, and in 356 Constantius II ordered the closing of pagan temples throughout the empire. Karnak was by this time mostly abandoned, and Christian churches were founded among the ruins, the most famous example of this is the reuse of the Festival Hall of Thutmose III's central hall, where painted decorations of saints and Coptic inscriptions can still be seen. Only one of the parts, The Precinct of Amun-Ra is open to the public. The Hypostyle Hall there has 134 massive columns. The architraves alone weight 70 tons. Naturally the Temple of Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten) was destroyed.

34 Akhenaton and the Amarna Period Akhenaton, colossal statue from the temple of Aton, Karnak, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca BCE. Sandstone, 13 high. Abandoning traditional Egyptian religion and introduced a monotheistic one, where the Aten or Sun God alone was worshipped. Early inscriptions liken the Aten to the sun later official language avoids calling the Aten In the end it was not accepted. 34

35 Figure 3-31 THUTMOSE, bust of Nefertiti, from Amarna, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca BCE. Painted limestone, 1 8 high. Ägyptisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Berlin. 35

36 Figure 3-33 Akhenaton, Nefertiti, and three daughters, from Amarna, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca BCE. Limestone, 1 1/4 high. Ägyptisches Museum, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Berlin. 36

37 Post Amarna New Kingdom Tutankhamun as a harpooner. This was intended to depict the King in the midst of a hippopotamus hunt. Such dangerous creatures were prime representatives of the deeply undesirable aspects of the daily life and the afterlife Innermost coffin of Tutankhamen, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca BCE. Gold with inlay of enamel and semiprecious stones, 6 1 long. 37

38 Figure 3-35 Death mask of Tutankhamen, from the innermost coffin in his tomb at Thebes, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca BCE. Gold with inlay of semiprecious stones, 1 9 1/4 high. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. 38

39 Figure 3-36 Painted chest, from the Tomb of Tutankhamen, Thebes, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca BCE. Wood, 1 8 long. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. 39