Lecture 4: Egyptian Art and Conventions

The pyramids are the most iconic symbol of ancient Egypt.
They represent the pharaohs' obsession with achieving immortality, both physically and through their legacy.
The pyramids were monuments to ensure the pharaoh's name and legacy lived on.
The lecture will explore artistic conventions in pharaonic portraits, focusing on how these conventions promoted ideas of permanence, longevity, stability, and power.

Egyptian art followed strict conventions, especially for pharaohs and the upper classes.
Emphasis on permanence, longevity, stability, and power.
These conventions were maintained for thousands of years.
Portraits of lower members of society allowed for a different set of conventions.

Khafre's pyramid is the middle and best-preserved of the three pyramids at Giza.
Sculptures of pharaohs were part of the pyramid complex, intended as a vessel for the pharaoh's ka (spirit) if it escaped the mummy.
Khafre Enthroned:
- From Giza, 2520-2494 BCE, Old Kingdom, Fourth Dynasty.
- Khafre wears the nemes headdress, a fake beard, and a kilt, all symbols of pharaonic power.
- He is depicted with an ideal male form, youthful and muscular, representing power and energy.
- His posture is formal, stiff, and rigid, conveying power and authority.
- The sculpture focuses on his image as a powerful pharaoh, not on his individual personality.

Menkaure's pyramid is the smallest of the three pyramids at Giza.
The sculpture depicts Menkaure with a woman, possibly his wife, mother, or the goddess Hathor.
The piece dates from 2548-2530 BCE, Old Kingdom, Fourth Dynasty.
Menkaure followed the same conventions as previous pharaohs: stiff posture, ideal male form, and youthful appearance.
The woman has an ideal female form, with decent sized breasts and a protruding belly, symbolizing fertility and the role as wife and queen.
She wears a tight-fitting dress that accentuates her form.
Both figures stand formally, emphasizing their position and power.
Menkaure stands with one foot forward, the typical power pose for pharaohs, while the queen is also in this pose, which is unusual.
The sculpture emphasizes permanence, longevity, power, and formality.
The sculpture is made of graywacke, a hard stone chosen for its durability and ability to stand the test of time.
The sculpture is technically a high relief, as the figures are attached to the block of stone.
Originally, the sculpture would have been painted, although the paint no longer remains.

Scribes were important members of Egyptian society, as they were among the few who could read and write hieroglyphics.
The seated scribe is painted, which is a nice difference.
The scribe is seated cross-legged, in a relaxed posture, unlike the formal poses of the pharaohs.
He is not depicted with an ideal body type, and he is shown as an older man.
He has a slight smile, conveying more personality than the pharaonic portraits.
He is holding a roll of papyrus, indicating his job as a scribe.

This painting comes from the tomb of Ti, an official or head priest.
The painting dates from 2450-2325 BCE and is located in Ti's tomb in Saqqara, Egypt.
The artist uses hierarchy of scale to indicate Ti's importance.
Ti is standing in a composite pose, with his head in profile, his torso facing forward, and his legs in profile.
The other figures, the hunters, are moving and bending, indicating their lower status.
Ti is only watching the hunt, not actively participating, emphasizing his position and permanence.

The artistic conventions were maintained for thousands of years but changed during the reign of Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV).
Akhenaten came to power around 1350 BCE and made radical changes to Egyptian religion, politics, and art.
He replaced the polytheistic religion with the worship of Aten, a new god represented as the living sun.
He changed his name to Akhenaten, meaning one who is effective on behalf of the god Aten.
He moved the capital from Memphis to a new city called Akhetaten, taking power away from the priests in Thebes.
Akhenaten emphasized life on earth rather than the afterlife.
His wife was Nefertiti, and her bust shows similar elongated features to Akhenaten.

This relief sculpture from the Amarna period (1349-1336 BCE) depicts Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and their three daughters.
It is a sunken relief, where the outlines are carved in and the background is left.
The family is seated casually, not on high-backed thrones, and they are facing each other, creating an intimate family scene.
In the center of the relief is the sun disc, a symbol of Aten, with rays holding the Egyptian ankh, a symbol of life.
The sculpture shows Akhenaten as the chosen conduit between the people and Aten.
Akhenaten's body is depicted with curvaceous forms, androgynous features, and elongated facial features, which may be a realistic depiction or an attempt to resemble Aten.
The girls are bald but wear diadems, indicating their position as princesses.
The sculpture exhibits a heightened degree of naturalism, with headscarves blowing in the wind.

After Akhenaten's death, his son Tutankhaten (later Tutankhamun) took over, but the changes made by Akhenaten were reversed.
The capital was moved back to Memphis, and the old gods were reinstated.
Despite the reversal, some aspects of Akhenaten's legacy remained, such as a more active role for the pharaoh in battle.
Tutankhamun is one of the most famous Egyptian pharaohs due to the discovery of his tomb in the 1920s.

Howard Carter, an English archaeologist, discovered Tutankhamun's tomb, which opened up a renewed fascination with ancient Egypt.
The tomb had been robbed, but many important artifacts were left behind, including Tutankhamun's burial mask.
The burial mask is made of gold, silver, lapis lazuli, and turquoise.
Tutankhamun was buried in three coffins, with the inner coffin made of 230 pounds of gold.
The tomb contained various objects, including chairs, chests, and chariots, intended for use in the afterlife.

Tutankhamun's mummy was preserved through mummification, a process that took 76 days.
CAT scans and X-rays revealed that Tutankhamun had several health issues, including scoliosis, a hunchback, and a clubfoot.
These health issues were likely due to inbreeding, as Tutankhamun married his half-sister.
Tutankhamun's features, such as long ears, a long nose, and a protrusion on the back of his head, were similar to those in Akhenaten's portraits, suggesting a greater sense of realism in Akhenaten's depictions.
Despite his health issues, Tutankhamun's tomb has provided valuable insights into Egyptian beliefs about the afterlife and the reign of his father, Akhenaten.