Man Featuring in Ancient Egyptian Art, Op-ed

The ancient Egyptian artist was highly trained, as he was able to reflect the image of the man on the scenes crafted in the tombs with a high degree of mastery, but also to show us, very clearly, the details of the body without any error.

Young artists began to draw pictures and then the chief artist came to correct the mistakes, and we found many images painted in the tombs in which we noticed this kind of correction.

There were times in the Pharaonic history when the artist was drawing a shape of a man in the ideal way he would like to see himself in during the next life, but it is amazing to see that on the tombs of common inpiduals in the ancient state, located in the Saqqara region or the west bank in Luxor. We will find that the ancient artist was able to show the difference in the form between each person and never did he repeat the man’s view in any cemetery.

Ancient Egyptian Queen Hatshepsut

Here we will show an example for the tomb of the genius architect Sinmot, who was favored by Queen Hatshepsut, and the Queen allowed him to build his cemetery at the bottom of her temple on the sea bank.

Inside the tomb, there were portraits and paintings which featured the Architect Sinmot, some were drawn and others were crafted on walls.

The ancient artists used the system of nets or squares on the surface of the cemetery, in order to determine the lineage according to the known lineage law.

Therefore, we may notice here that the personal features of Senemot are matched through his full lips and thick beard, and this is evident in the drawings and engravings, and through this, we could touch how the ancient artist was professional and had control over the expression of the real features of a person that differ from one person to another.

This is though the artist had to follow certain strict rules of art he must apply it in all his works.

There is also the tomb of the Minister of the King Akhenaten, and there is a painting inside the tombs that show many foreigners who represent different races and provide offerings and loyalty to Akhenaten and their number is eight.

Despite that, the artist was able to determine the shape and personality of each foreigner and featured him differently from the other.

And you will compare that to another painting that shows the Egyptian employees who show their loyalty to the pharaoh, but here it shows the extent of the artist's insistence to clarify the difference in the form of foreigners as well as the Egyptians.

Here, we may say that the artist was committed to featuring Egyptians through well-known lines, but when he painted foreigners there was no clear vision for them, so he had absolute freedom that would enable him to show his skill in drawing.

Likewise, he was free to paint ordinary men and women while performing their work, as well as in squatting scenes for men or persons depicting them running.

The ancient artist was free to create in drawing these people, but far from depicting kings and queens in which he was committed to rules that can never be abandoned.

By Dr. Zahi Hawass