Pharaoh Frenzy: An Enemy's Disarray Is So Yesterday

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

Tutankhamun is one of the most famous and instantly recognisable Pharaohs of the modern world even though he lived and reigned over 3,000 years ago. The boy King was born in the 11th year of his father’s reign in 1345 BCE and died in 1327 BCE at the age of just 17 or 18 after only being in power for 8 years. Until archaeologist Howard Carter discovered his almost fully-intact tomb in the Valley of the Kings in 1922 CE, the pharaoh was almost unheard of due to the common belief that he was a minor ruler, whose reign was of little consequence. However after this discovery and subsequent discoveries due to excavations, analysis of his mummy and other historical evidence, opinions changed, so much so that today Tutankhamun is recognized as an important

This essay aims to investigate two different time periods in the history of art. It will scrutinize the influence that the respective societal contexts had on the different artists, which in turn, caused them to arrange the formal elements in a specific way. I will be examining an Egyptian sculpture of the god Isis nursing Horus, her son, as well as the Vladimir Virgin icon, which dates from the Byzantine era. Experts vary on the precise ‘lifetime’ of the Ancient Egyptian civilization, but according to Mason (2007:10) it existed from 3100 BCE up to 30 BCE. The Byzantine era, which

The artworks of Ancient Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt are both strikingly different and similar at the same time. Consistent is the theme of serving the different gods the two cultures believed in. In Mesopotamia the various city-states each had their own protective deity, and in Egypt they sometimes differed from one dynasty to the next. Whatever the case, with the beginning of kingdoms and rulership came the need to justify a position of power and establish a hierarchy. And as more time passed came also the human need to leave an impression on their world. Looking at the example of the statues of Gudea from the Neo-Sumerian period and the Temple of Ramses II from the New Kingdom of Egypt in the 19th dynasty, will show how both rulers of

Similar to most Egyptian art, the figures in the stele are drawn with a twisted perspective – the frontal view of their faces and the profile view of their bodies. This is also seen in the relief of “King Assurnasirpal II Killing Lions.” This twisted perspective was common in most Ancient Egyptian art.

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 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).

One of the pictures of a coffin shows what Chantry was meaning when he talked about the in-depth and three dimensional aspects of Egyptian art and how the art of this era is more like todays than any other type of art. Egyptians are still respected for their art today, many individuals are baffled by some of the architectural structures that they built, such as the Great pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx of Giza, and multiple statues that were used throughout history. One of the most iconic pieces of art in history would be the coffin of Tutankhamun, it resembles many of the forms of art that were talked about in the article by Chantry. The main difference between art of this era and the art of today would be that the Egyptians did not use art as a form of decoration, they used it to honor the dead, or to help them move on by honoring the gods. In the article Chantry repetitively tells us about how he speaks to viewers through his pictures in his modern designs, this may have happened in ancient Egypt also. Many things about the paintings of that era is that they are difficult to explain, though if someone views it then you can automatically know what the point of it was. Sometimes it is just a social class rating showing the power of the pharaoh, and the women that served him and his

This approach to the opening of the chamber demonstrates Carter’s caution that he took into the excavation of Tutankhamun’s tomb and the transportation of the contents that was inside it. Carter opened the burial chamber and when he did he was confronted by the golden walls and two large statues “So enormous was this structure (17 feet by 11 feet, and 9 feet high, we found out afterwards) that it filled within a little the entire area of the chamber” gives an accurate description of these statues and an accurate account of the amount of artefacts that were found in Tutankhamun’s tomb.

The British Museum in London holds many ancient pieces of art. There are so many galleries and exhibits inside the museum that several pieces do not get the attention they deserve. One such piece resides in the Assyrian exhibit inside the museum. It is a collection of three alabaster panels that act as registers of a narrative story. The expertly carved reliefs illustrate the great lion hunt performed by an Assyrian king in an arena. So much emotion is portrayed in the brutal imagery of the lion hunt. These great alabaster slabs once resided in an Assyrian palace in present day Nineveh. The reliefs were excavated in the 1840’s by Hormuzd Rassam, employed by Austen Henry Layard of the British Museum. Rassum found the palace by secretly digging at night because the site was originally claimed by French archeologist Victor Place. Since the excavation, the lion hunt reliefs have been displayed in the British Museum. The lion hunt reliefs features so many qualities ranging from historical to artistic. In this report the topic of why the reliefs were made, how they represented the king, the symbolism of the lion, and artistic prowess of the piece will be exposed.

As I stepped out of my tent into the blistering sun, I marveled once more at the beauty of the Mediterranean Sea. With sunburn burning the back of my neck, I walked over a wooden plank towards the entrance of the giant pyramid which loomed up before me. While my colleague, Oscar, helped me to tie myself to the safety rope, I was awed at how spectacular the limestone tomb was. After walking for a while, I came across the dark chamber which contained the mummy’s corpse. However, when Oscar and I first uncovered this secret pyramid two weeks before, we discovered two objects in this chamber which were extremely unusual: the first was another skeleton, this one not wrapped up like the pharaoh’s, but left to rot in a corner of the chamber. When we discovered it, we assumed it to be the corpse of a servant or slave. The other unnatural item, which was clutched in the servant’s arms, appeared to be an ancient painting, a portrait

The portrait of Irethorrou also depicts the blunt, traditional non-expressive representation that Egyptian artists used when creating a work of art dedicated to those with higher status. Irethorrou’s coffin portrayal looks straight forward with a blank expression. His limbs cannot be seen, but the silhouette of the entire coffin gives an idea of where his arms and legs should be. This serious appearance was very important to Egyptians when illustrating a person of royalty, just like the headdress and false beard. It was a characteristic that was strictly limited to authoritative figures, and not used to depict the general population. Representing leaders, or those with higher status, as serious was very important to Egyptians because it illustrates someone who would ensure stability.

The Colossal Statue of King Lamassu and Tuthankhamun are both amazing sculptures. The details in each piece are constructed in away that it makes the viewer study each aspect of the figurine. The two statues share some common aspects but they differ from time period, era, structural details, and purpose.

Thesis: Tutankhamun has a legacy all over the world because of his marvelous tomb, his young age to come to power and the uncertainty of who his parents were.