Ancient Egyptian Art Research Paper
Dan Bussiculo
November 19, 2005
Ancient Civilizations
Museum Project
For this project I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art, on at least four different occasions, September 20th being the first visit, the subsequent three I didn't write down. I chose to examine the Ancient Egypt civilization, which is extremely rich in everything from hieroglyphics and statues to jewelry and tombs.
The first item I examined was the royal acquaintance Memi and Sabu, from Dynasty 4 2575-2464 BCE. It is painted limestone out of Giza donated by the Rogers Fund in 1948. This statue evokes the intimacy of Memi and his companion, Sabu, although she is set somewhat apart by her oblique gaze. Until recently, the flowering of non royal statuary was believed to have occurred only in the 5th and 6th dynasties. Recent studies indicate however many of these non royal statues, including Memi and Sabu are better dated to the 4th dynasty, contemporary with great royal statuary programs. The early date for Memi and Sabu is based both on her coiffure and on the reciprocated embrace.
The next item was the head of a female personification of an estate. It is from the 4th dynasty, …show more content…
It consists of approximately 36,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from the Paleolithic to the Roman period (ca. 300,000 B.C.4th century A.D.). More than half of the collection is derived from the Museum's thirty-five years of archaeological work in Egypt, initiated in 1906 in response to increasing public interest in the culture of ancient Egypt. Today, virtually the entire collection is on display in thirty-two major galleries and eight study galleries, with objects arranged chronologically. Overall, the holdings reflect the aesthetic values, history, religious beliefs, and daily life of the ancient Egyptians over the entire course of their great
November 19, 2005
Ancient Civilizations
Museum Project
For this project I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art, on at least four different occasions, September 20th being the first visit, the subsequent three I didn't write down. I chose to examine the Ancient Egypt civilization, which is extremely rich in everything from hieroglyphics and statues to jewelry and tombs.
The first item I examined was the royal acquaintance Memi and Sabu, from Dynasty 4 2575-2464 BCE. It is painted limestone out of Giza donated by the Rogers Fund in 1948. This statue evokes the intimacy of Memi and his companion, Sabu, although she is set somewhat apart by her oblique gaze. Until recently, the flowering of non royal statuary was believed to have occurred only in the 5th and 6th dynasties. Recent studies indicate however many of these non royal statues, including Memi and Sabu are better dated to the 4th dynasty, contemporary with great royal statuary programs. The early date for Memi and Sabu is based both on her coiffure and on the reciprocated embrace.
The next item was the head of a female personification of an estate. It is from the 4th dynasty, …show more content…
It consists of approximately 36,000 objects of artistic, historical, and cultural importance, dating from the Paleolithic to the Roman period (ca. 300,000 B.C.4th century A.D.). More than half of the collection is derived from the Museum's thirty-five years of archaeological work in Egypt, initiated in 1906 in response to increasing public interest in the culture of ancient Egypt. Today, virtually the entire collection is on display in thirty-two major galleries and eight study galleries, with objects arranged chronologically. Overall, the holdings reflect the aesthetic values, history, religious beliefs, and daily life of the ancient Egyptians over the entire course of their great