art history

Last judgment of Hu-Nefer, from his tomb (page from the Book of the Dead). New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty. c. 1275 B.C.E. Painted papyrus scroll. FRAGMENT OF PAPYRUS SCROLL PAPERLIKE SUBSTANCE  MOST IMP SURFACE FOR WRITING BOOK OF THE DEAD ANCIENT TEXT  SPELLS, PRAYERS, INCANTATIONS SETS OF INSTRUCTIONS FOR AFTERLIFE  CAME TO BE USED BY PEOPLE OF HIGH RANK  TOMB OF HU NEFER, A SCRIBE PRIESTLY STATUS LITERATE, HIGH STATUS IN EGYPTIAN SCULPTURE SCENE OF JUDGMENT  AFTERLIFE?  DISTINGUISHED BY WHITE ROBE  GUIDED BY ANUBIS, ASSOCIATED W/ MUMMIFICATION, DEATH ANKH - SYMBOL OF ETERNAL LIFE ANUBIS ADJUSTING A SCALE, BALANCE MA'AT DIVINE ORDER, ETHICAL LIFE PASS TEST, ACCESS TO AFTERLIFE THOTH RECORDING PROCEEDINGS  HUNEFER INTRODUCED TO OSIRIS BY HIS SON, HORUS HORUS FALCON ENTHRONED, SYMBOLS OF EGYPT, LOTUS BLOSSOM SYMBOL OF ETERNAL LIFE HORUS'S CHILDREN, FOUR, CARDINAL POINTS; THEY KEEP DEAD PRESERVED HORUS REPRESENTED AS AN EYE ...

Tutankhamun’s tomb, innermost coffin. New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty. c. 1323 B.C.E. Gold with inlay of enamel and semiprecious stones. Tutankhamun was only the age of nine when he became king of Egypt during the 18th dynasty of the New Kingdom (c. 1332–1323 B.C.E.) His nearly intact tomb held a wealth of objects that give us unique insights into this period of ancient Egyptian history. Tutankhamun ruled after the Amarna age, when the pharaoh Akhenaten, Tutankhamun’s probable father, turned the religious attention of the kingdom to the worship of the god Aten, the sun disc.  Tutankhamen shifted the focus of the country’s worship back to the god Amun and returned the religious center back to Thebes.  Akhenaten moved his capital city to the site of Akhetaten (also known as Amarna), in Middle Egypt The outer two coffins were crafted in wood and covered in gold along with many semiprecious stones, such as lapis lazuli and turquoise. The inner coffin, however, was made of solid...

Akhenaton, Nefertiti, and three daughters. New Kingdom (Amarna), 18th Dynasty. c. 1353–1335 B.C.E. Limestone. OLD KINGDOM, MIDDLE KINGDOM, NEW KINGDOM - ALL CONSISTENT RADICAL CHANGE AKHENATON CHANGES STATE RELIGION PREVIOUSLY WORSHIPPED AMUN, NOW ATEN  HIS WIFE AND HIM, ONLY ONES WITH ACCESS TO NEW GOD EGYPT RETURNS TO ITS ORIGINAL RELIGION AFTER AKHENATON DIES  VERY BRIEF PERIOD IN EGYPTIAN HISTORY SHIFT IN STYLE SUNKEN RELIEF CARVING PLACED IN PRIVATE DOMESTIC ENVIRONMENT ALTAR IN SOMEONES HOME SENSE OF DOMESTICITY HOLDING DAUGHTER TENDERLY  SWOLLEN BELLY, THIN ARMS, ELONGATED SKULLS CURVILINEAR FORMS RATHER THAN RECTILINEAR FORMS COMPOSITE VIEW OF BODY PROFILE FACE, FRONTAL EYE ATTENTION TO DRAPERY SOFTNESS SHOULDERS SQUARED ATEN RENDERED AS A SUN DISK MONOTHEISTIC RELIGION RAYS OF LIGHT 

Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut. Near Luxor, Egypt. New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty. c. 1473–1458 B.C.E. Sandstone, partially carved into a rock cliff, and red granite. MIDDLE KINGDOM AND NEW KINGDOM  GRANITE SCULPTURE HATSHEPSUT FEMALE PHARAOH  DIVINE BIRTH, ORACLE PREDICTED SHE WOULD BECOME KING COMMISSIONED TEMPLES, SCULPTURES POWER OF ART TO CONVEY ROYAL AUTHORITY SCULPTURE MADE FOR TEMPLE, 10+ OF THESE SPHINX  AGAINST VAST CLIFF FACE  TOWERING CLIFF REGULAR ORDER AND STRUCTURE OF BUILT ENVIRONMENT PERMANENCE, STABILITY TRYING TO ASSERT STABILITY THROUGH ARCHITECTURE  ADOPTS PAST FORMS TO SHOW HERSELF AS KING SYMMETRY, STONE, SENSE OF TIMELESSNESS HEAD CLOTH SYMBOL OF KING, BEARD  VISUAL LANGUAGE OF KINGSHIP  MASCULINE  BROAD SHOULDERS FEMININITY DEEMPHASIZED  BREASTS REDUCED  CO-RULER DESTROYED MANY HATSHEPSUT RELATED PIECES OFFERING TO GOD SEEN IN A NEGATIVE LIGHT  ENORMOUS POWER, INFLUENCE; SCULPTURE, ARC...

Temple of Amun-Re and Hypostyle Hall. Karnak, near Luxor, Egypt. New Kingdom, 18th and 19th Dynasties. Temple: c. 1550 B.C.E.; hall: c. 1250 B.C.E. Cut sandstone and mud brick. The massive temple complex of Karnak was the principal religious center of the god Amun-Re in Thebes during the New Kingdom (which lasted from 1550 until 1070 B.C.E.). The complex remains one of the largest religious complexes in the world. The site was first developed during the Middle Kingdom (2055-1650 B.C.E.) and was initially modest in scale but as new importance was placed on the city of Thebes, subsequent pharaohs began to place their own mark on Karnak.  was not only the location of the cult image of Amun and a place for the god to dwell on earth but also a working estate for the priestly community who lived on site. Additional buildings included a sacred lake, kitchens, and workshops for the production of religious accoutrements. One of the greatest architectural marvels of Karnak is the hypo...

King Menkaura and queen. Old Kingdom, Fourth Dynasty. c. 2490–2472 B.C.E. Greywacke. Serene ethereal beauty, raw royal power, and evidence of artistic virtuosity have rarely been simultaneously captured as well as in this breathtaking, nearly life-size statue of the pharaoh Menkaure and a queen. Smooth as silk, the meticulously finished surface of the dark stone captures the physical ideals of the time and creates a sense of eternity and immortality even today. the three primary pyramids at Giza were constructed during the height of a period known as the Old Kingdom and served as burial places, memorials, and places of worship for a series of deceased rulers--the largest belonging to King Khufu, the middle to his son Khafre, and the smallest of the three to Khufu's grandson, Menkaure. Pyramids are not stand-alone structures. Those at Giza formed only a part of a much larger complex that included a temple at the base of the pyramid itself, long causeways and corridors, small s...

Great Pyramids (Menkaura, Khafre, Khufu) and Great Sphinx. Giza, Egypt. Old Kingdom, Fourth Dynasty. c. 2550–2490 B.C.E. Cut limestone. The three primary pyramids on the Giza plateau were built over the span of three generations by the rulers Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure. Each pyramid was part of a royal mortuary complex that also included a temple at its base and a long stone causeway  Being buried near the pharaoh was a great honor and helped ensure a prized place in the afterlife. The shape of the pyramid was a solar reference, perhaps intended as a solidified version of the rays of the sun. Texts talk about the sun’s rays as a ramp the pharaoh mounts to climb to the sky The pyramid was considered a place of regeneration for the deceased ruler.  2,000 conscripted peasants.  The Great Pyramid, the largest of the three, was built by the pharaoh Khufu The pyramid contains an estimated 2,300,000 blocks, some of which are upwards of 50 ton and angled, outer casing...

Seated scribe. Saqqara, Egypt. Old Kingdom, Fourth Dynasty. c. 2620–2500 B.C.E. Painted limestone. OLD KINGDOM 4,000 YRS OLD LIFELIKE PAINTED ANCIENT EGYPTIAN CULTURE PIGMENT SURVIVES LIMESTONE CRYSTAL AWARENESS, INTELLIGENCE UNIDEALIZED ROLLS OF FAT RELAXED HUMANLIKE FORMALITY FRONTAL, MEANT TO BE SEEN SYMMETRY MOMENTARY, EGYPTIANS CONCERNED W THE ETERNAL CAIRO, FOUND IN NECROPOLIS FUNERARY SCULPTURE MEANT FOR TOMB SCRIBES HIGHLY REGARDED FEW WHO COULD READ AND WRITE DELICACY LONG AND ELEGANT FINGERNAILS HIGH CHEEKBONES WHITE KILT RICH SKIN

Palette of King Narmer. Predynastic Egypt. c. 3000–2920 B.C.E. Greywacke. the Narmer Palette, on the other hand, is so valuable that it has never been permitted to leave the country. Discovered among a group of sacred implements ritually buried in a deposit within an early temple of the falcon god Horus at the site of Hierakonpolis (the capital of Egypt during the pre-dynastic period), this large ceremonial object is one of the most important artifacts from the dawn of Egyptian civilization made of smooth greyish-green siltstone, is decorated on both faces with detailed low relief. These scenes show a king, identified by name as Narmer The high quality of the workmanship, its original function as a ritual object dedicated to a god, and the complexity of the imagery clearly indicate that this was a significant object palettes were generally flat, minimally decorated stone objects used for grinding and mixing minerals for cosmetics. Dark eyeliner was an essential aspect of life i...