Egyptian Art
The ancient cultures established along the Nile River in Egypt between 3500 BCE and 30 CE were characterized by complex social organizations under the leadership of Pharoahs. Much of their art and architecture was produced to honor these rulers, who were thought to be divine, as well as the gods in the Egyptian pantheon, the most important of which were Amen, the supreme god, and Re, god of the sun. Ancient Egyptian culture is divided into periods according to dynastic rule: the Predynastic and Early Dynastic period (ca. 3500-2575 BCE), the Old Kingdom (c. 2575-2040 BCE), the Middle Kingdom (ca. 2040-1550 BCE), the New Kingdom (ca. 1550-1070 BCE), and the final period, the First Millennium (ca. 1070 BCE – 30 CE), in which Egypt came increasingly under foreign rule. The early 19th century discovery of the Rosetta Stone, a kind of translator’s tablet, allowed scholars to read Egyptian hieroglyphics, linguistic symbols included on many works of Egyptian art and architecture. Among the most significant of these are the Great Pyramids at Gizeh, constructed during the Old Kingdom; Middle Kingdom rock-cut tombs; and enormous New Kingdom Temple of Amen-Re at Karnak. With notable exceptions, the stylistic features of Egyptian painting and sculpture evolved slowly, remaining remarkably consistent through three millennia.
Learning Objectives
Chapter 3 - Egypt under the Pharaohs
Chapter 3 - Egypt under the Pharaohs
- Explain the shift in formal and iconographic characteristics during the Amarna Period of the New Kingdom.
- Discuss the funerary function and content of Egyptian art and architecture.
- Understand the role of the Nile River in Egyptian life as well as Egyptian art and architecture.
- Be able to describe the differences and commonalities in Egyptian funerary and temple architecture.
- Discuss the materials of Egyptian art.
- Contrast the primary building materials of early Mesopotamian and early Egyptian architecture.
- Explain the development and use of the Egyptian hieroglyphic writing system.
- Identify examples of intercultural contact between Egypt and other ancient civilizations.
Need to know:
Key Terms
palette mastaba ka canopic jars mummification engaged columns papyrus temple ashlar masonry fluted columns rock-cut tombs axial plan colonnades pier pylon hypostyle hall lintel clerestory, bilateral symmetry subtractive sculpture high relief idealism canon sunken relief atlantid caryatid sphinx block statues fresco secco scale Imhotep obelisk Akhenaton monotheism iconoclast cardinal points of the compass diorite granite slate atlantids pyramid register causeway cuneiform |
Key Places
Upper and Lower Egypt Saqqara Gizeh Heliopolis Dashur Beni Hasan Deir el-Bahri Thebes Abu Simbel Karnak Amarna Kush Edfu |
Key Figures
Deities Amen-re Osiris Isis Hathor Anubis Unas Aton Maat Thoth Horus Pharaohs Early Dynastic: Menes (Narmer), Djoser Old Kingdom: Sneferu, Khufu, Khafre, Menkaure Middle Kingdom: Mentuhotep, Senusret III, Thutmose II, Hatshepsut New Kingdom: Ramses II, Amenhotep IV/Akhenaton (Amarna Period), Tutankhamen Other Historical Figures: Imhotep Ti Senmut Nefrura Khamerernebty Thutmose Nefertiti Tiye Nebamun Mentuemhet |
Key Ideas
Preoccupation with the afterlife, eternity, permanence, power and authority Art with a sense of permanence created for eternity (the afterlife) Strict, consistent adherence to rules of representation to emphasize a need for stability and tradition Strong distinctions made between the powerful, deified pharaoh and the lower classes (i.e. hierarchical proportion, idealization vs. naturalism) Obsession with preparation for death (hence the numerous artifacts created for tombs) and rebirth (the annual flooding of the Nile serves as a loaded metaphor for this cycle of death and rebirth) |
Key Pieces
OLD KINGDOM
MIDDLE KINGDOM
NEW KINGDOM
Akhenaton and the Amarna Period
The Tomb of Tutankhamen and the Post-Amarna Period
- Mural painting in Tomb 100, Hierakonpolis, ca. 3500-3200 BCE
- Palette of King Narmer, from Hierakonpolis, Egypt, ca. 3000-2920 BCE
- Egyptian mastaba tombs, section, plan, and restored view
- Stepped pyramid of Djoser, Saqqara, Egypt, Third Dynasty, ca. 2630-2611 BCE
- Mortuary precinct of Djoser, Saqqara, Egypt, Third Dynasty, ca. 2630-2611 BCE
- Entrance hall, Djoser precinct, Saqqara, ca. 2630-2611 BCE
OLD KINGDOM
- Great Pyramids, Gizeh, Egypt, Fourth Dynasty
- Pyramid of Menkaure, ca. 2490-2474 BCE
- Pyramid of Khafre, ca. 2520-2494 BCE
- Pyramid of Khufu, ca. 2551-2528 BCE
- Section of the pyramid of Khufu, Gizeh, Egypt, Fourth Dynasty, ca. 2551-2528 BCE
- Great Sphinx, Gizeh, Egypt, Fourth Dynasty, ca. 2520-2494 BCE
- Rahotep and Nofret, Maidum, ca. 2575-2550 BC
- Khafre enthroned, from Gizeh, Egypt, Fourth Dynasty, ca. 2520-2494 BCE
- Menkaure and Khamerernebty (?), from Gizeh, Egypt, Fourth Dynasty, ca. 2490-2472 BCE
- Seated scribe, from Saqqara, Egypt, Fourth Dynasty, ca. 2500 BC
- Ka-Aper, Saqqara, ca. 2450-2350 BCE
- Hemiunu, Gizeh, ca. 2550-2530 BCE
- Ti watching a hippopotamus hunt; Goats treading seed and cattle fording a canal; reliefs in the mastaba of Ti, Saqqara, Egypt, Fifth Dynasty, ca. 2450-235
MIDDLE KINGDOM
- Fragmentary head of Senusret III, 12th Dynasty, ca. 1860 BCE.
- Lady Sennuwy, Kerma, 1960-1916 BCE
- Rock-cut tombs BH 3 to 5, Beni Hasan, Egypt, 12th Dynasty, ca. 1950-1900 BCE
NEW KINGDOM
- Stele with the laws of Hammurabi, from Susa, Iran, ca. 1760 BCE
- Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut, Deir el-Bahri, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1473-1458 BCE
- King and queen of Punt and attendants, relief from the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut, Deir el-Bahri, Egypt, 18th dynasty, ca. 1473-1458 BCE
- Hatshepsut with offering jars, from the upper court of her mortuary temple, Deir el-Bahri, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1473-1458 BCE
- Temple of Ramses II, Abu Simbel, Egypt, 19th Dynasty, ca. 1290-1224 BCE
- Temple of Amen-Re, Karnak, Egypt, begun 15th century BCE
- Senmut with Princess Nefrura, from Thebes, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1470-1460 BCE
- Painted scenes from the tomb of Nabamun (funerary banquet, hunting fowl), Thebes, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1400-1350 BCE
Akhenaton and the Amarna Period
- Akhenaton, from the temple of Aton, Karnak, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1353-1335 BCE
- Nefertiti, from Amarna, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1353-1335 BCE
- Tiye, from Ghurab, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1353-1335 BCE
- Akhenaton, Nefertiti, and three daughters, from Amarna, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1353-1335 BCE
The Tomb of Tutankhamen and the Post-Amarna Period
- Innermost coffin of Tutankhamen, from his tomb at Thebes, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1323 BCE
- Death mask of Tutankhamen, from the innermost coffin in his tomb at Thebes, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1323 BCE
- Last judgment of Hunefer, from his tomb at Thebes, Egypt, 19th Dynasty, ca. 1300-1290 BCE
Need to know characteristics
- Extreme conservatism: very little change in art for 3000 years (exception: Akhenaton & Amarna Pd)
- Hieratic scale
- Combination of text and images
- Use of registers
- Things may be seen from the front, the side, or above
- Rules for depicting pharaoh and family; very stylized and idealized
- Shown in prime of life
- Broad shoulders, narrow hips, some muscle definition
- Calm face
- Limited poses include composite view and Egyptian sculptural stance
- Shown in prime of life
- Naturalism for depiction of non-royalty, landscape, and animals in natural surroundings
- Men are dark, women are light
- Continuous narrative
- Sculpture serves as a home for the spirit/ka
- Symbols
- Architecture
- Old Kingdom : mastabas; pyramids serve as burial sites and monuments
- Middle Kingdom: cliff side tombs and temples with reserve columns
- New Kingdom: funerary temples; corridor axis approach
- Old Kingdom : mastabas; pyramids serve as burial sites and monuments
- Amarna Period (Akhenaton): Exception to all the Egyptian art rules; shows naturalism