Do you not know all the secrets that the egyptian sculpture? Do not worry, because through this post you will be able to learn all the mysteries, the great works and much more. In advance, base of majestic figures linked to funeral rites.
egyptian sculpture
It has become customary that Egyptian sculpture is a clear reference to the political structure that surrounds the pharaoh, as well as all issues related to death. As for the relief, they are works that contrast perfectly with funerary temples. Also, the mayan sculptures they have endless styles that you will probably like to discover.
There are several construction materials that historians have found in its preparation. Stone sculptures are predominant, as is polychrome wood. Later, the trend introduced figures with mud, gold or clay. Precious or semi-precious stones constitute more production elements, to fit perfectly with each temple.
Thanks to a large majority of tombs that were not violated, a compilation of these works refers to the hardness, making it clear that the resistance is above average. If the stone is very resistant, the polychrome wood contributes its grain of sand for the remains analyzed by the researchers.
The clientele that is willing to order the construction of their sculptures will always have compelling reasons to choose the funeral motifs. It is common to mention the cube sculptures, to portray the great men in a standing posture.
Egyptian sculpture has a frontal bulge style, that is, the work can only be seen from the front to appreciate every detail. It has a high relief, which greatly favors the vision that all viewers have of the works.
Taste is in variety, which is why portraits with an idealized touch are present. The face will always display a rigid hue. In group representations, there is a figure that stands out above the rest. For example, there is the pharaoh in the company of his community. Being the highest Egyptian authority, his figure will be higher than the others, to impose hierarchy.
The canon of the Middle Ages speaks for itself regarding the faces of Egyptian sculpture: rigidity, hieraticism and idealization. No author could go out of the norm when sculpting portraits during this time. Throughout the pharaonic history of Egypt, the desire to highlight the face of the main authority was maintained.
For Egyptian sculptors, the work of relief was always important to optimize the figures. Generally, this technique has always been close to the body, because it makes an extraordinary game in the decoration of temples and columns. Among those motifs that always enhances the Egyptian community is contained in the Book of the Dead with dances, harvests, daily life and the profile of the gods.
Predynastic sculpture-ink
Of these works, the palette for cosmetics with a golden handle stands out. In addition to that, many animals appear with transcendent symbology in Eastern culture. The golden handles served to support the paints that were applied to the faces of Egyptian sculpture, emphasizing the eyes.
Palette Narmer
It is currently in the Cairo Museum – Egypt. Presumably it is the son of the first Scorpion King, whose identification deals with the Pharaoh of the first Menes dynasty. He considered to be the first unifiers of Egypt. In one of the tablets this character is observed with a white tiara, while in the opposite end he has the red tiara as a sign of Lower Egypt.
This Egyptian sculpture is a clear example of how Lower Egypt was able to conquer a lot of ground to face Upper Egypt. Through the image it can be distinguished how one of the Kings submits his opponent by the hair. Similarly, Horus does the same with another man who is holding a papyrus plant.
The stele of the Serpent King
It is in the Louvre Museum in Paris. The presence of this reptile instills respect, hierarchy and danger. Presumably it is the figure belonging to King Get or Set, the successors of the first Menes dynasty. For the second time Horus appears in a rectangle to enclose the name of the highest pharaonic authority. Likewise, the royal palace appears where the great Falcon lives. When the name is shaped with the help of the Falcon, it means the impact that the pharaoh will have towards the future.
Old Kingdom sculpture
If there is something to be highlighted about these works, it is the jovial character of their representatives. What does this mean? That the portrait was always focused on young people, never on the elderly.
Djoser seated sculpture
If you want a contact with this work, you can do it from the Cairo Museum, Egypt. Its importance lies in the formation of the III dynasty that moved the capital to Memphis. The first appearance of this sculpture occurred in a pyramid, to account for a construction based on limestone with a normal size. Strangely, he has a wig that covers his face, indicating that the Pharaoh never spoke in public without showing his identity.
Seated sculpture of Khafre
The work is located in the same museum as the previous sculpture. At first glance it is a very robust figure, made on a diorite stone. The character has his knees together, with his hands resting on his knees. The frontality is the order of the day, so if he is a spectator, he will have to enjoy the Egyptian sculpture with a direct angle of vision to perceive all the details.
Mikerinos, the goddess Hathor and a representation of a provincial divinity
Here that canon of idealization and hierarchy of enhancing important figures over other secondary characters can be perceived. Slate stone is the raw material for this Egyptian sculpture, completely bare on the wheel. His related work whose title responds to "Mikerinos and his wife" is in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, USA.
Seated sculpture of Rahotep and Nofret
Currently found in the Cairo Museum, Egypt. Built on a polychrome limestone base, one of the best materials to give resistance and durability to a historical piece of the Egyptian community. It follows the same canon as always, with the darker skin of the husband on the wife. If the tone of a person in these altarpieces is clear, it means that the origin of him is fully Eastern.
The scribal inspector Raherka and his wife Meresankh
These characters are described between the IV-V dynasty. It is in the Louvre Museum, Paris. The silhouette of the woman, once again, is smaller than the profile of her husband. Thanks to these details, the viewer inquires that the male presence will have greater emphasis on idealization.
The dwarf Seneb and his family
In the Cairo Museum, Egypt, one of the most "costume" works of this nation is present, portraying men and women with village tendencies. Again it emphasizes the role of man as protector and highest authority.
The Scribe Morgan
In the Louvre Museum, Paris, there is another important sculpture that dates to the XNUMXth dynasty to be exact. Manufactured in polychrome stone, Morgan is paying attention to everything he is listening to transfer ideas to papyrus.
On this occasion, Morgan presents characteristic eyes, without demarcating the Egyptian custom by highlighting their contours. In addition to showing part of her nudity, her eyes maintain an almond-shaped appearance, leaving the same performance for her nose.
Ushabti, a servant with the same qualities as Morgan is in a similar position, under construction of clay or mud. Both works take for granted the good work attitude that both characters possess, in a funerary context.
Middle Kingdom sculptures
From this time period, Egyptian sculpture undergoes some transformations, such as the construction of some workshops in Thebes, under a slight influence from Memphis. Only the following work appears from here.
Head of Pharaoh Sesostris III
In the Cairo Museum, the figure of the Pharaoh that marked the birth of the XII dynasty is available. The history of Egypt tells that this character already has a more psychological profile or with a little more personality. However, this Pharaoh does not have happy features or a ruler. He knows Egyptian sculpture and its principles that have enjoyed good management. His face denotes frustration, because of the political problems that arose from this dynasty.
They return to the Egyptian cube-shaped sculptures, with the legs held by the hands to be a single body. This facet reaches a point that emphasizes only the legs, enhances the hands or simply shows the faces in more detail. Do you know everything about the Kinetic art? If not, it is a good idea to read all aspects of the description.
New Kingdom sculpture
It is a new flowering in what the representation of Egyptian sculpture has consisted of, whose capital has been Thebes. The shapes stopped being recharged in relief to look more natural. Thanks to this link established with Asian culture in recent times, they understood that in naturalness lies the sense of the aesthetic or harmonious.
The skin color of the subjects ceased to matter. This matter is contemplated thanks to miscegenation. Therefore, men and women will look more striking. Another trend that is added is the size of the works, larger than usual, thanks to the superlative tastes of the pharaohs.
Portrait of Amenophis III
Characterized to decorate any temple to which it is destined, although at the moment it is present in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. A curiosity that encompasses this Egyptian sculpture is the hue of regrets that his face usually expresses when the sunlight falls on him. However, deterioration over the years caused this feature to be completely lost.
Queen Hatshepsut
Pink granite is the raw material that is part of this sculpture found in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. She is the only daughter of Thutmose I and Ahmose. The woman was part of the XVIII dynasty, becoming the only heir to the entire fortune managed by her deceased husband.
A peculiarity that draws quite a lot of attention is the ability that plastic artists had to turn his face into a more masculine element (even with a little beard on his chin). In addition, he has several replicas in the form of a sphinx.
Akhenaten's face
Akhenaten refers to Queen Amenophis IV. During her tenure, figurative art takes an important leap in the transformation of bodies, just as they are present in earlier examples of Egyptian sculpture. Now its capital is Armaniac art. If the aforementioned representations are an example of naturalness, the artists of that time were even more concerned with achieving great results.
Cultural beliefs were centered on monotheism, with the figure of Amun or Aton being the only one to worship among all those present. Thanks to this temporary space, Queen Amenophis IV ceased to be a cult figure to concentrate on Aton, the new patriarch.
As for his face, he maintains that Negroid trait of the pharaohs of previous periods. He first appeared in one of the many temples built by the Aten. In the Egyptian Museum in Cairo is the portrait of the queen, next to the deformed body of the Pharaoh.
Head of Nefertiti
She belonged to the XVIII dynasty, being the first recognized wife of Akhenaten. The presence of this female changed certain paradigms to evoke the beauty and union of a couple to become lovers. She always looked modern in her reign, with a slight smile on her face. Without a doubt, her features take for granted a slender, sober character, with an imposing profile.
The history of Nefertiti continues to be an enigma for all researchers of Egyptian culture. The queen disappeared without a trace. To go further, she disappeared from all historical papyri about her deeds during her period of command. She may have died a violent death, causing her husband to forbid the community to exclaim her name.
To talk about her Egyptian sculpture, its author possibly had a secret romantic relationship with her. For this reason, the extraordinary treatment that her silhouette received from her. She always beautiful, smiling and with great respect for everyone. In contrast, the face of her husband always appears distorted to the point of exaggeration.
There is another sculpture of Nefertiti without a head, but with good relief on the body to exalt the symmetry of her body aesthetics. There is no doubt that the queen has served as a motivation for many later women to rescue the beauty of her body along with an elegant face, if you will.
Representation of Meritatón daughter of Amenophis IV
If something must be said about this Egyptian sculpture, it is the exaggeration that this face presents, not only because of the deformation of its skull, but also because of a marked chin. The relief is once again the protagonist in this type of work, to show the daily aspects experienced by the Pharaonic court since its foundation.
To say, the anatomical feature of the bodies is somewhat deformed. The compositional unit arrives with a particular strategy: to lengthen the necks to make the faces. The family section is highlighted in matters of relief, portraying the entire family of Amenophis IV and all the children of Nefertiti.
Tutankhamen
He is the last Pharaoh of the XVIII dynasty, the same time that Queen Nefertiti lived. One of the main philosophies of his was to maintain the monotheistic culture to worship a single god (in his case, himself as the authority of respect). Much of his ideas were taken over by the Jewish population as it relates to his religious system today.
With the arrival of Moses in the Egyptian community, there was a lot of tension in terms of beliefs. Such pressure converted the advancement of Egyptian sculpture to the ancient Theban school. Tutankhamun met a rather tragic end at the hands of the priests who endorsed polytheism to worship various deities. His tomb has been one of the few that has been recovered intact, for this reason there is a lot of research material regarding the Pharaoh.
In the end he always wanted to be under both sides, with the reconstruction of many destroyed tombs in the school of Thebes for the faithful believers of monotheism. The priests who killed the Pharaoh had enough power to restore polytheism with all its lights.
From birth he had a physical disability or rather a deformity in his left foot due to osteoporosis. For that reason he always walked supported on crutches, being one of the youngest Pharaohs of his dynasty.
1922 is an important year with the help of an illustrious character who marked the current history of Tutankhamun thanks to the discovery of his almost intact tomb. Howard Carter is part of the great books of universal history by fulfilling this mission entrusted to him by Lord Carnarvon.
Each of the objects found in his tomb are approximately 5000 years old. His mask currently rests in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, arousing the interest of all spectators to watch such a spectacle.
As a consequence of this discovery, many involved in the event died due to extraordinary circumstances. For karma believers, they associate the deaths with the pharaoh's curse for desecrating his tomb in the XNUMXth century.
Part of all the accessories related to Tutankhamun have traveled far and wide around the world. Because it is a pharaoh with a long history, even those who are unaware of Egyptian sculpture (a large part of it made with polychrome wood) acclaim the presence of each garment that relates to this character.
Egypt gave the authorization to expose all the manifestations related to Tutankhamun. The Louvre Museum is the first site to highly value all the utensils that came with it from the pharaoh.
From 1979 to 2005 no new exhibitions were made in such infrastructure. A very certain aspect is the millions of visitors that the Museum introduced in the first years of the exhibition.
This Pharaoh's mask has toured the world in its presentation of laminated gold, with silver construction and precious stones.
It was located in the third tomb of the emperor. It is part of a historical legacy along with its Egyptian sculpture that everyone vehemently praises. Do you know how you developed the History of art to the present? Do not stop discovering it.