Great Sphinx Of Tanis Analysis

     According to art historians, the Great Pyramids at Giza were built sometime between 2601 and 2515 bc. These dates are provided in traditional art history textbooks as being relatively accurate; however, the pyramids, through recent discoveries about the constellation, Orion, are

As I began to wander through the museum, I stumbled upon one of the best Egyptian collections I have ever seen, with the exception of special travelling

According to art historians, the Great Pyramids at Giza were built sometime between 2601 and 2515 bc. These dates are provided in traditional art history textbooks as being

What makes the sculpture different from others of this time period are two things; the subject matter, in that it depicts no god, nor Pharaoh only a mortal human writing in a mostly illiterate society. Secondly it demonstrates age shown in sagging muscles and rotund belly. Due to this relaxed style we can gather that the subject is not a Pharaoh as it was dishonourable to insinuate that they aged as they were supposed to be gods on earth.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is an extraordinary New York site. For me, the Egyptian exhibit is especially meaningful because it engenders personal pride in the contributions of my ancestors and challenges me to use my talents to impact society in a positive

The first piece of art work that I saw was the work of Frederick William MacMonnies (1863-1937) I felt it captured my attention as I first walked into the room. The unique sculpture “DIANA” really impressed me by depicting a Roman Goddess poised with her bow raised high and ready for the hunt. It was also interesting because the women of that time period were not known as hunters, they were known for being mothers and wives. The piece of art work was medium in sitting on top of a pedestal as you walked into the main exhibit room. There was lots of background information on the poster written below this artwork. It told a story of how MacMonnies and his contemporaries got their inspiration in ancient Greek and Roman culture, and it also took some of the Italian Renaissance into account when making the piece.

The main purpose of this paper is to describe the visual analysis of the artwork. This paper examines an Egyptian half nude portrait art which is taken from Metropolitan Museum of Art (Fig.1). The statue characterized both male and female seated figure with a Braid hair. In this essay, I will present a complete visual description of this artwork (its preservation, costume and iconography), and then I will compare it to another artwork which is chosen from Textbook that is Akhenaten and his Family (Fig. 2).

The cultural artifact that I propose to study is a bust of Queen Nefertiti, who was the Royal Wife of the Pharaoh Akhenaten. The bust is said to be painted with stucco-coated limestone, created in 1345 B.C by Thutmose who was a talented sculptor. The bust was discovered in 1912 in Thutmose’s workshop by Ludwig Borchardt and his archaeological team. The bust had many owners in Germany throughout the years, however, it is currently on display at the Neues Museum in Berlin. The Nefertiti bust is a cultural phenomenon, especially for ancient Egypt as well as Berlin. Germany had the bust for over a century now and it has been their pride and joy. The argument between Egypt and Germany over the bust has been going on for decades. Egypt believes that the bust belongs to them and that it was taken

The Ancient Egyptian artifact that I chose to analyze and is the most interesting piece I have seen in the museum is the Cartonnage of Nespanetjerenpare. The artwork itself was larger than me and that was one of the reasons why this artwork was very interesting to me, since I am a fairly tall individual. It was created during the Third intermediate period that was around Dynasty XXII or the twenty second Dynasty of Ancient Egypt and was possibly acquired from Thebes. The dynasty was also known as the Bubastite dynasty which was approxamently from 945-718 B.C.

Egyptians used art as a way to reflect every aspect of their lives. Sculptors were important artist, and in these different architectural sculptures, you will see how models of people and different figures were depicted in stone during the New Kingdom and Old Kingdom eras. Nikare with his Wife and Daughter is a statue that was made from limestone and paint in Egypt during the Old Kingdom era about 2420-2389 B.C or later. Stelophorous Statue of Bay made in 1294–1250 B.C is another sculpture that was also made from limestone about one thousand years apart from the other one. This statue was also made in Egypt. Both sculptures share some similarities to have been made a millennium apart, but with that also comes several differences. Although both statues as a whole may depict different things, it’s the little details in them that we don’t usually analyze in art that make them both similar.

Throughout different time periods and civilizations come many different types of art that would never be comparable to those of another time or place. There are also the pieces that come from a completely different time and place, but yet they can still be compared to one another. The Torso of a God (Egyptian, New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, last decade of the reign of Amenhotep III, Granodiorite, 1359-1349 B.C.) and the Statue of Asklepios (Greek, Hellenistic period, Pentelic Marble, 2nd century B.C.) are two sculptures made hundreds of years apart, yet they both display many similarities and show how art is constantly changing whilst keeping the same core ideas.

A popular theory regarding the Sphinx is that it was built during Khafre’s reign as Pharaoh of the 4th Dynasty (around 2600 B.C). Khafre (Khafra, Khefren or Chephren) was the son of King Khufu and younger brother of Djedefre (his predecessor). Being the second of Khufu’s heirs to take the thrown it is believed Khafre built the Great Sphinx in his own image. Dr. Salima Ikram suggests “he is showing the world that he is a legitimate heir and therefore has every right to rule” (“Secret: The Sphinx”). The base of this theory is that Khafre’s temple is located directly behind the Sphinx and therefore he must have built it and arranged it that way. “It is possible the sphinx was intended to serve as a guardian for Khafre’s splendid valley temple” (Oakes, and Gahlin 428). This theory however, remains just that, a theory. Without any proof of a name on the outside of the Sphinx or a date stating the year it was made, Khafre’s connection to the Sphinx cannot be known for

The sphinx is located in the eastern wing of the museum. This is a fairly small artifact comparing with the original sphinx located at Giza, Egypt. It is famous for its projection both Kushite and Egyptian elements. The lion shown in the body of the sphinx is done in typical Egyptian style like the grand sphinx itself, while the face of the artifact clearly Sudanese resemblance of Taharqo, the black king. There are hieroglyphics and symbols on the statue clarifies the fact that it is a real and legitimate portrait of the great King Taharqo. The statue is kept in the central of the room in a glass box (Caleca, 1979). The statue is only accessible for viewing. Visitors are not allowed to touch the box at any cost, but they are allowed to take pictures. Besides the box, there is black and white steel panel where description about the statue is written. It’s said there that, Taharqo was in fact, the fourth pharaoh to rule both the kingdoms of ancient Egypt and Kush together, during the Third Transitional Period of the middle age (Török, 2002). Also, there was a mention that, this statue was built around 680 B.C. The statue was first discovered by archaeologists at a demolished stone temple in Nubia (now known as Sudan), which is situated in the south-eastern part of the Amun Temple at Kawa (now Gematon). The excavations were conducted and monitored by the University of Oxford in 1930 (MacGregor, 2012). Experts believe

Starting with Bastet, this free-standing statue hails from Late –Ptolemaic Period (664–30 B.C) from Egypt. Medium used was bronze, precious metal and black bronze inlays. The dimensions are H. 5 cm (4 1/8 in.); W. 3.2 cm (1 1/4 in.); D. 3.9 cm (1 9/16 in.). This statuette was donated to the Museum by George and Florence Blumenthal in 1934 and is on view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 134.

Dynasty dated 593. There is an inscription on the back of the statue that indicates that the sculpture