Ancient and Medieval Art - Essay Example

Ancient and medieval art Reserve Head of Nofer, Giza tomb G 2110A, Dynasty 4, 2602-2575 BCE, 10 11/16” high (Second floor, Old Kingdom Egyptian gallery off rotunda, look for one of the white heads in a glass case 06.1886; Map: orange, gallery 207. It is difficult to know exactly how Nofer looked like but from the reserve head found in tomb at Giza, it can be argued that Nofer had large aquiline nose. This element is featured on the door-jump of his chapel and on the reserve head found at the base of his burial pit or tomb. From the reserve head, Nofer is presented as a huge and big person who did not belong to the royal family but played a significant role in the fourth dynasty in Egypt. For example, he was given titles such as secretary of secrets, royal scribe, and estate manager (Berman, Freed, and Doxey 49). Reserve heads were form of different sculpture constructed from limestone. They were constructed of a white and fine limestone in order. It is significant to note that the reserve heads were from the reigns of pyramid constructing pharaohs Khafre and Khufu in 2602-2575 BC. Each of these reserve share common features, and the amazing individuality makes them some of the ancient or medieval portrait sculpture existence. The purpose of these heads was not clearly defined but it is believed that they were used to serve as an alternate home of the soul of the dead person should a misfortune happen to his or her body. The Nofer tomb at Giza was highly personalized life-sized description whose personal trait has been compared to head portraits of medieval and contemporary times (Berman, Freed, and Doxey 101-2) Ancient Egyptian artists focused to capture an idealized side of the face often removing individual character that aimed to reveal architectural impersonality. The reserve head found at Giza showed specific and unique people like Nofer. The reserve head were sculpted to serve a ritualistic role for the actual head of the deceased person. Further, the reserve heads served as the artist’s prototype for creating more reliefs and statues of the dead person. Moulds were extracted from the reserve head of Nofer in an attempt to avoid mutilating the actual head. However, Nofer’s head was ritually mutilated to avoid him from harming or hurting the living human beings. To ensure that the deceased did not hurt the living, the reserve head was developed by a master sculptor, and upon a person death, the reserve head got a ritualized mutilation in order to avoid them from hurting the living human beings. For instance, the head of Nofer depicts some damage at the extraction of the ear and at the back of his head. While the reserve heads were prepared for a very short time, they established a lasting impression on subsequent sculpture of the old Egyptian kingdom. Unlike sculptures from ancient Egypt, reserve heads like that of Nofer were never made as part of composite and larger sculpture; they stood as independent pieces of the head completed with flat surface at the bottom of the neck illustrating that they were aimed to stand in an upright position. All reserve heads were placed in a similar manner in their tombs. However, evidence from the Nofer head suggests that the heads were exhibited by the entrance of the tomb rather than inside the tomb. The sculpture of Egyptian dynasty makes a wonderful culmination of that long era of development that started with the small statues of predynastic era. The examples of these carvings were excavated in places like Giza where Kings and Princes were buried. They aimed to describe the transitional process in the development in Egyptian leadership. The tombs that were excavated at Giza are believed to have been completed towards the end of the King’s leadership and were intended for the next generation of the royal family (Berman, Freed, and Doxey 115) The ancient tombs were constructed with comparative simplicity in the sense that the walls of the toms were equipped with whitewash as a way of decoration. Further, the tombs were constructed with the slab-stelae that represented the gifts that were given to the royal family as a symbol of ownership of the tomb by the Princes and the King. The reserve head of Nofer was constructed and covered in fine low relief and well painted. Nofer’s relief is idealized, and his reserve head depicts a portrait illustration of how Nofer might have looked with a long face, square chin, and high cheekbones. The rough chopping and cutting of the ears, hairlines, and noses shows that artists or sculptors did fine detailing in plaster. Alternatively, it might show intentional destruction done for the purposes that remain uncertain. 2. Portrait of Augustus, Roman, imperial period, first or second century CE, 17 (2nd floor, Roman gallery, on pedestal in the middle of one long wall; 99.344; Map: orange, gallery 213. Roman power was manifested in its art. Emperors from the cultic roman empire of Augustus to the holy empires of Theodosius knew the significance of sculptural monuments and art that helped them in developing their power. The portrait of Augustus at Pima Porta used characteristics from Greek art in the 5th century. Its facial construction, leg, head, and pose were copied from ‘doryphoros of polykleitos’. The portrait of Augustus was developed to commemorate Roman victory in 20 B.C (Ramage 111). It describes Augustus as a young and handsome commander wearing military regalia. Contrary to the reserve head of Nofer that was used to illustrate his function as an official working in the royal palace, the portrait of Augustus during the roman empire depicted distinct functions of the emperor. For instance, it showed that the emperor had authority of his people. Portrait of Augustus of the Roman Empire that was erected in 20 CE appears to depict Augustus as a general and an orator. Further, it illustrates how the emperor during the Roman Empire had power and authority. The portrait shows Augustus as a military commander and a staunch endorser of the Roman religion. The portrait also communicates the 200-year era of peace and unity that Augustus started. Just like the reserve head of Nofer found in Giza, this portrait of Augustus was well cut and refined to make it appealing. The portrait shows Augustus bare foot although he was wearing military clothes, the purpose of this bare foots is to show Augustus’ religion or divinity. The type of facial construction is different from that of Egyptian sculptors because it consists of wide, cranium, sharp eyebrows, rounded mouth, aquiline nose, and narrow chin. The eyebrow illustrated the Roman artistic style. The posture of the Augustus hand is a gesture representing Augustus as strong and powerful ruler of the Roman Empire. The tunic and cuirass of the portrait illustrates Augustus as the ruler and the leader of the Roman Empire (Strong 78-9). The breastplate demonstrates Augustus victory in 20 B.C when his army defeated Parthians. During the Roman rule, art underwent significant transformations with extreme realism taking the center stage due to influence from Greece as illustrated in the portrait of Augustus. The portrait was idealized to present all the traits and virtues that a ruler governing the Roman Empire should possess. Works Cited Berman, Lawrence., Freed, Rita E., and Doxey, Denise. Arts of Ancient Egypt. Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, 2003. Print. Ramage, Nancy. Roman Art, 4th ed. Pearson: Prentice Hall: 2005. Print. Strong, Eugenie. Roman Sculpture: From Augustus to Constantine. New York: Arno Press, 1969. Print. Read More