Formal Analysis Of Ushabti

This latter point is exceedingly salient, and the prominent featuring of Egyptian gods throughout Tutankhamun’s tomb denotes the considerable cultural significance of religion and the way in which it essentially governed much of ancient Egyptian society. Correspondingly, such artefacts as the Shabti dolls further emphasize the importance of the afterlife, as the minuscule dolls are intended to represent servants for the pharaoh in life after death. This illustrates that the pharaoh was regarded as a hugely esteemed figure and shows the focus that was placed upon ensuring that the afterlife was a comfortable and hospitable environment for the ruler.

The work I chose to analyze was from a wall fragment from the tomb of Ameneemhet and wife Hemet called Mummy Case of Paankhenamun, found in the Art Institute of Chicago. The case of the Mummy Paankhenamun is one of the most exquisite pieces of art produced by the Egyptian people during the time before Christ. This coffin belonged to a man named Paankhenamun, which translates to “He Lives for Amun” (Hornblower & Spawforth 74). Paankhenamun was the doorkeeper of the temple of the god Amun, a position he inherited from his father.

The coffin and mummy of Djedmaatesankh are known as one of the few unopened coffins, retaining the original seal. Currently, it has been decided not to open the coffin in order to examine the mummy within due to the fact that it would severely damage the artwork and hieroglyphs that have been painted on the outside. The coffin is made of cartonnage, which is created with moulded linen and plaster and is painted on the outermost layer. These paintings describe the story of Djedmaatesankh’s life, as well as references to the Book of Caverns in order to provide the body “with safe protection as it makes its journey through the underworld on its way to eternal life in the Field of Reeds”. The coffin is from the 3rd intermediate period of ancient Egyptian culture and has been dated to 945-715 BC, coinciding with the 22nd Dynasty in which Ian Shaw relays that the “Chief of the Meshwesh Sheshonq (King Sheshonq I)” ruled. The base materials used are linen and plaster to form the cartonnage, and the artwork on the outermost layer uses a combination of paint and gold leaf to create depictions of Djedmaatesankh’s life. Ancient Egyptians used paint made from a mixture of pigment and plaster to paint on coffins and sarcophagi, and the higher classes used increased amounts of gold leaf as well. Djedmaatesankh’s coffin would be classified as funerary art, which had been created to be of use in funerary rituals and practices. Djedmaatesankh’s coffin is an excellent example of the extensive

Egyptian sculptures at the exhibition -- flown to Mexico from ancient temples along the Nile and from museums in Cairo, Luxor and Alexandria

The reliefs of Ankh-neb-ef are limestone panels with paint that originated from the Old Kingdom of Egypt in 2150 BC during the reign of Pharaoh Pepy II. The delicate carving of the panels in the sunken relief presents a magnificent image. They portray Ankh-neb-ef, an ancient Egyptian priest whose name translates to “may his lord live.” In the reliefs, Ankh-neb-ef holds a Kherep-sceptor and a walking stick, which were symbols of authority in ancient Egypt. Egyptian civilization was extremely religious and most ancient Egyptian artworks involved the portrayal of gods, goddesses, and Pharaoh, as well. Moreover, the Egyptian reverence for order and conservative ideals led to the institution of intricate rules that governed how artists represented both humans and gods (Saylor.org 4). For instance, the apparel worn by Ankh-neb-ef in the painting is not a simple fashion statement. The priest is wearing a prestigious sarong and ornamentation, bracelets, and a wide collar. The jewelry kept their owner safe in a dangerous passage to the afterlife. This formula for representing the human figure in a painting remained popular over several centuries (Robins 24).

Starting from the front top of the coffin, it has a sculpted head showing the face of the Pharaoh. It is covered in gold leaf to represent the color of the skin glowing in the sun. On top of the head is a headdress of wings and dung beetle in the center. The dung beetle placed in two places and both are to represent reviving Meret-it-es. Going below the neck is a picture of Meret-ie-es on the right dress in white asking the god to be let into the afterlife. Underneath the picture, it shows detailed patterns I believe to represent jewelry she would have worn. Moving down the body, another set of wings and a dung beetle are placed near her heart. The dung beetle is holding a circle which I believe is to represent the heart of reviving her. Next is a woman with her wings open. Rosalie mentioned that the woman would close her wings at night and open them to wake up Meret-it-es. Across the pelvis shows a dead Meret-it-es with two women on each side mourning for her. Underneath that is Thoth, god of wisdom and writing. He is using an instrument to write that her spirit may enter the next world. Towards the bottom of her feet is hieroglyphs and a man on a boat with papyrus flowers. Unfortunately, I don’t know what the hieroglyphs; however, the boat represents the man taking her to the

Masks of deceased persons are part of traditions in many countries. The most important process of the funeral ceremony in ancient Egypt was the mummification of the body, which, after prayers and consecration, was put into a sarcophagus enameled and decorated with gold and gems. A special element of the rite was a sculpted mask, put on the face of the deceased. This mask was believed to strengthen the spirit of the mummy and guard the soul from evil spirits on its way to the afterworld.

The beautiful magic wands of the Egyptian past are a great example of the how the Ancient Egyptians revered their gods, but more importantly, they glorified their living and sanctified their dead. The appearance during the Middle Kingdom of the magic wands in tombs tell a story of a culture that struggled with surviving childbirth. In order to protect their laboring mothers, in this life and the next, the Egyptians evoked deities from their pantheon and spellbound them to a piece of hippo bone. In the magic wands found scattered about Egypt, all possess carvings of knife wielding deities, some were three dimensional and even the material it has made from held great significance.

Both Etruscan and Roman tomb sculpture function to memorialize the departed allowing them to move on from the world of the living and seeks to comfort those who have lost the ones they love. The two societies have differing practices in regards to death and therefore sculptures concerning the subject are somewhat different with a few identifiable similarities. While both societies seek to comfort the living and commemorate the dead this is achieved through different approaches. The Etruscan Sarcophagus with reclining couple from Cerveteri, Italy and the Mummy of Artemidorus from Roman Egypt are two examples of contrasting representations of the dead. When analyzing tomb sculpture one of the main questions is whether the work adapts a retrospective approach (presentation of the deceased as they were in life) or a prospective one (the viewpoint of looking forward to life beyond the grave). While the Etruscan sarcophagus gives a more retrospective memorialization through the depiction of the couple in a state of regularity the Roman Mummy of Artemidorus presents a more prospective approach concerning the deceased through the emphasis of funerary practices.

The Egyptian Mummy Mask from the early Roman Period is unique and beautiful in every way possible. This mask that is on display in the Museum of Fine Arts Boston is about 3 feet tall to about 2 feet wide. This certain piece of magnificent art is extremely detailed with intricate designs covering it all around. The Museum of Fine Arts makes it easy to pay attention to, because of its detail and how the mask is displayed. The Mummy Mask has it’s own small alter with a spot light shining down on it creating dramatic shadows in a very dim room. The decorations include inlaid glass eyes, a gold leaf and is hand-painted and gilded glass. This mask is not paper maché like the masks that were made in this era; this Mummy Mask had been created out of cartonnage . The Egyptians decorated this masterpiece with bold vertical and horizontal lines representing rows of beads to go along with the story it tells. The Egyptian Mummy Mask from the first half of the first century A.D illustrates a gaze of innocence and acceptance while looking into the bright future of whom the mask was made for. Perfectly painted images covering the mask tell a story of the traditional funerary practices and the after life Egyptians believed in. Egyptians would create these pieces to fit over the heads of the lost lives wrapped inside the mummy. The mask represents the deceased transformed into a God . Although the face of the mask is idealized and emotionless, the decorations say and express more than a

Cats in Ancient Egyptian Art: A Visual Analysis of Bastet and the Menat of Taharqo: the King Being Nursed by the Lion-Headed Goddess Bastet

The shrine of Tutankhamun uncovers the burial customs of the New Kingdom Egyptians. The Canopic Shrine positioned on the east wall of the Treasury holds Tutankhamun's embalmed internal organs. A gold chest held four Canopic jars containing the dead pharaoh's internal organs in each jar. Undoubtedly, through the process of mummification, the embalmers must have removed the internal organs and preserved them in the Canopic jars, perhaps to be taken with the pharaoh to the next world. The third and innermost of three coffins of Tutankhamun is made of solid gold and is inset with semiprecious stones and coloured glass. It is covered with carved decorations and inscriptions inside and outside. It bears the names and epitaph of the deceased king and also protective texts. From this we discover the significance of the importance of the decoration of the mummy was, and the power the coffin was believed to hold. Originally, mummification was so expensive that it was a privilege enjoyed only by the Pharaoh and few nobles. Everybody else was given a simple grave burial in one of the vast cemeteries or "necropolises" of the time. But the promise of eternal life was so appealing that it wasn't long before other classes of Egyptians began signing up for mummification, too.

The Egyptian Book of the Dead was used primarily from the establishment of the New Kingdom in 1550 BCE to 50 BCE. It consisted of the collection of texts and spells designed to assist the deceased in their journey to the next world. The book of the dead was part of a custom of memorial texts that consisted of the past Coffin Texts and the Pyramid Texts that were decorated on objects. Spells were drained from the past works and other Egyptian history courting to Third Intermediate Period (Budge, 2012:21).

This figure’s body is cropped, leaving the viewer with only its torso and head. While portions of this figure’s body are more humanoid than the previous, (a pronounced shoulder and breast ground the character) once we move up from these shoulders the body seems to break into geometric abstraction. A spiky neck extends and transforms into a sort of scaffolding to hold up the mask-face. This figure is also decorated with flowers and hair like protrusions, suggesting an almost ritualistic garb.

“The Mummy” derives from ancient egyptian Mythology, and adopts specific traditions carried out the majority of Mummy folklore. Mummies are frequently (however with exception) Pharaohs, their wives of family, high ranking officials such or scribes or priests, or wealthy members of the society. The rituals are very detailed, with each facet serving a specific purpose. In passing, the organs are removed carefully and placed in canopic jars to be buried with the deceased. The remaining body parts are wrapped in cloth, and placed in ornate coffins called Sarcophagus, often detailing a likeness of the body it holds, or ancient script describing their life death or instructions into death. Any striations from this ritual often symbolizes a misconduct within their lifetime, and being mummified alive signifying a fate worse than death. This theme of ritual and tradition is heavily prevalent in Grant Allen’s short story My New Year’s Eve among the Mummies. The main character J. Arbuthnot Wilson recounts a strange memory/dream of spending a night in the great unopened Pyramid of Abu Yilla in Egypt. Wilson stumbles upon/is psychically drawn to the Pyramid, and interrupts a ritual in which occurs once every 1000 years. The court of Pharaoh Thothmes lives is in permanent slumber, yet arises once every 1000 years for