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Life was structured around living Ma'at, viewed as the correct way of behaving, maintaining social order. Period before dynasties with smaller rulers. A sedentary and agricultural group. Art was made from resources readily available; stone, ivory, bone and clay. Like all Egyptian periods the main theme is death and the afterlife. Most art of this time functioned for that purpose; funerary, ritualistic or burial practices. Increased sophistication of tombs and early iconography begins to appear.
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c.3300-3100 BCE, siltstone, 12”ht x 5”wd, British Museum, London. Battlefield palettes are theorized to have been used in the emergence of the Pharaonic state. Portray Pharaohs role as maintaining stability. The men depicted at the top are bound and led by standards, symbolizing a conquest in favor of political and religious unification. The two sides, create a story of societal order through empirical power. Representations relating to ideas important to an emerging elite class. (Ian Shaw). -
c. 3100-2500 BCE, terra cotta clay, various sizes and locations. Pots of this kind are representative of the elements of importance in early Egyptian life before dynasties. A time of using local and abundant resources, the significance of the nile on agricultural life and even the beginnings of ruling authority. They also represent the growing sedentary lifestyle and development of civilization. The Nile was of upmost importance and symbolized significantly through boat and arc depictions. -
This is the period where we begin to see the development of Dynasties and the art produced transitions to reflect the power, divinity and right of these rulers. Iconography is further developed and artistic conventions of canon of proportions, composite pose and hieratic scale are implemented to support these reflections. With dynastic development comes the iconography related with upper and lower Egypt (ex. papyrus and lotus), as well as the unification of both areas that develops later.
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c.2950-2775 BCE, siltstone, 25”ht, Egyptian Museum, Cairo. A piece of great importance with exceptional cultural and ritualistic purpose. It marks a shift in expression enduring throughout the following Egyptian kingdoms (register organization, hieratic scale, pharaonic iconography, smiting pose). One withstanding interpretation is that of unification. Iconography of both Lower and Upper Egypt are present, and depict Narmer as ruler of both. A first iteration of this duality. (Dr. Amy Calvert) -
A period of prosperity for the Egyptian Royal elites (Men and Women). Dynasties flourish, and the iconography of art is used to establish divine right to rule. Idealized beauty is used in depictions of rulers. Death practices are reserved only for the Kings and Queens. Financial stability supports larger and more lavish works, as represented by the funerary complexes of this period. More expensive materials such as diorite are employed. Art is representative of the order of this period.
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c.2601-2472 BCE, stone mason architecture, Cairo, Egypt. Possibly the most representative site of the ancient Egyptians devotion to the afterlife for their monumental posture. The pyramids were constructed in this shape to thrust the Pharaoh to the heavens and are astronomically aligned to aid in their transition. However, these structures function as symbols of national pride and patriotism. There was strong devotion to the leadership of this period as well as living and contributing to Ma'at. -
Political uncertainty and declining finances create a shift in the art produced (Cheaper, smaller, less intricate). In portraiture, idealized beauty transitions to more realistic representations. Monumental architecture continues, but in a very new way. Rock cut tombs replace the pyramids, as subtractive architecture utilizes the resources of the land. New funerary objects emerge with the practices of death opening up to the wealthy and not just the royal. There is a rise in the middle class.
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c.1985-1795 BCE, wood, 260 cm. x 92 cm., The British Museum, London. Compared to the lavish burial practices of royalty, these wooden coffins represent a broadening and varying approach to death; the practices of death are opened to wealthy citizens. The rise of the middle class creates access to wealth accumulation. New developments in burial practices and items emerge in what we may view as more affordable or accessible forms such as these wood coffins adorned with tools for the afterlife. -
c. 1850–1640 BCE, Diorite, 7” x 4” x 6”, Metropolitan MoA. This piece greatly speaks to the state of the empire. Following the lavish works of the Old Kingdom, political and financial insecurity impact the art produced. As seen with this piece, art becomes less intricate and much smaller. It is more reminiscent of the art created during the pre-dynastic period. There is also a noticeable change in the representation of the pharaoh from the idealized imagery we came to know in the Old Kingdom.