Ancient Mediterranean Worlds: Egypt

     Most associate Egyptian art to being composed of simply hieroglyphics and gold. However, Egyptian art is significantly more than that and has a meaning and purpose to every piece of ancient art created. The message of Egyptian art is continuity. The Ancient Egyptians were all about reaching back into history and moving forward to the future, innovation and stability come to mind. There are many different types of Ancient Egyptian art. There are the royal burial tombs, masks, sculptures, paintings of men and women that tell stories with every detail, large architectural outdoor sculptures, such as the pyramids, and pottery just to name a few.
      Subjects of Egyptian art were not always kings and queens, as some would assume. Subjects span from animals, slaves, peasants, wealthy, Gods and of course the royalty. One of the most famous pieces of Egyptian art is The Sphinx (built in 2530 B.C.), which symbolizes the most important characteristics of Egyptian art: stability, order, and endurance. It has the body of a reclining lion with the head of a man resembling a pharaoh. It stands at a towering 66 feet and faces the rising sun. It was positioned this way because is resembles the Pharaoh Khafre whose pyramid tomb near by and all kings of Egypt take their authority and are descended from the Sun God, Ra.
      When ancient Egyptians depicted their pharaohs and queens, they wanted to show a sense of timelessness and no decay. Two pieces in particular are the sculpture of Queen Nefertiti (created in 1345 B.C.), which was painted limestone and The Burial Mask of Tutankhamun (created in 1325 B.C.), which was made of solid gold. Both of these pieces were created in honor of royalty because Egyptians strongly believed in the afterlife. In the Egyptian culture gold resembled more than just wealth and prosperity, but it was a symbol of the life-giving rays of the sun derived from the sun god, Ra and eternity. The skin of The Gods was thought of to be made of gold, which would never perish. King Tut’s solid gold face mask covered with inlaid blue glass and precious gemstones veiled the head and shoulders of his mummified body and was meant to resemble immortality and that he would never decay. the sculpture of Queen Nefertiti was meant to show her enchanting and everlasting beauty. With her royal headdress and elongated neck she bestows a timeless standard of excellence that only a queen could have.

The Sphinx. Egypt. 1345 B.C.

Queen Nefertiti. 1345 B.C

The Burial Mask of Tutankhamun. 1325 B.C