The Old Kingdom of Ancient Egypt Flashcards
In the years prior to the old kingdom what was the art in egypt famous for having ?
some funerary offerings and sculptures includeing slate palettes for eye makeup, sculptured figures, ivory carvings and pottery
The old kingdom is best known for…
The pyramids of Giza and saqqara and it is one of the most innovative periods of egyptian culture
In profile means…
bel gamb
How did sculptors render their art in this era?
conceptual rendering of the human figure
what was in a in profile view and what was in frontal view in their reliefs?
the pelvis(hips), the legs and the head were in an in profile view while the eyes and the torso was in a frontal view
Was there an attempt to make their sculptures 3d ?
no the figuers were flat and there was no attempts at foreshortening or 3 dimensions
How were the wall decorations carved?
they were very low reliefs and they were incised with great detail
why was colour not used wildely?
bec of its impermanence
what did the artist stick to generally during ancient egypt?
inheritated stylistic conventions, only few attempts were made in naturalisim
what was Erwin Panofsy’s view on the egyptian method of working?
the art was not directed towards the variable but the constant. was not directed towards the symbolization of the present but towards the realization of a timeless of eternity
what were the temples and tombs made out of and what were the dwellings fo the living made out of(even the king)?
stones, mudbrick
what were the common stones available across the nile river?
limestone and sandstone
what were other stones that famous across egypt?
basalt, granite , grewacke and gnesis
order of the evolotion of the sculptors tools is…
flint> copper> bronze> iron
what did the artists use to sculpture hard stones such as diorite and granite?
human made hammers then they used to smooth it using hard rubbing stones and fine sand pastes
where was the statue of seated khafre found?
it was found in the valley temple of his pyramid complex
what was his throne decorated with?
it was decorated with powerful looking lions, and with lotus and papyrus plants intertwined upon a trachea and lungs
what does sema-tawy mean?
“sema-tawy” a symbol of the unity of upper and lower egypt
how did the sculptors try to depict his eternalty?
by carving him in an athletic form (his best form) regardless of his age when the statue was sculptured
what did the falcon horus’s placement indicate?
his close reletionship with his fellow god (khafre as he was portrayed in a very dignified manner)
the era of khafre statue is…
old kingdom 4th dynasty
what did the statue convey regarding khafre ? and why?
divine kingship as it unites highly skilled treatment of material with many complex levels of meaning in its construction
when was the 1st apparation of group statues?
the menkaure traid
what were the components of the triad ?
the Horus , king of upper and lower egypt “Menkaura”, mistress of sycamore Hathor(شجرة الجميز)
what is the meaning of the inscriptions written in the base of the triad?
means all good produced in the hare nome will be presented to the king to support him in perpetuity(الابديه)
what was a common theory about the traids?
that there was 8 of these triads featuring the king with hathor with one of the other nome deites and they were set up in menkaura’s valley temple
