Secrets of ancient Egyptian statues (12 photos). Ancient Egyptian sculpture - distinctive features

Three granite statues of Pharaoh Senusret III. British Museum. London

The lack of the necessary high-precision equipment with which numerous ancient Egyptian artifacts could be created, as well as the absence of traces of the industrial infrastructure for its production in Egypt itself and beyond, indicate that high technology was brought from outside. And here it would not be a bad idea to remember the widespread various peoples mythological story about the “sons of heaven” who, after completing some humanitarian mission on Earth, return to “their star.”

At the turn of the 3rd millennium BC. e. in Egypt almost empty space there was an inexplicable technological breakthrough. As if by magic magic wand in an extremely short time, the Egyptians erected pyramids and demonstrated unprecedented skill in processing hard materials - granite, diorite, obsidian, quartz... All these miracles occur before the advent of iron, machine tools and other technical tools. Subsequently, the unique skills of the ancient Egyptians disappear just as quickly and inexplicably...

Take, for example, the story of the Egyptian sarcophagi. They are divided into two groups, which differ strikingly in quality of execution. On the one hand, carelessly made boxes, in which uneven surfaces predominate. On the other hand, multi-ton granite and quartzite containers of unknown purpose, polished with incredible skill. Often the quality of processing of these sarcophagi is at the limit of modern machine technology.

Sarcophagi of different quality of processing

Ancient Egyptian sculptures created from super-strong materials present no less of a mystery. In the Egyptian Museum, anyone can see a statue carved from a single piece of black diorite. The surface of the statue is polished to a mirror shine. Scholars suggest that it dates from the Fourth Dynasty (2639-2506 BC) and depicts Pharaoh Khafre, who is credited with building one of the three largest pyramids of Giza.

But bad luck - in those days, Egyptian craftsmen used only stone and brass instruments. Soft limestone can still be processed with such tools, but diorite, which is one of the hardest rocks, cannot be processed.

Diorite statue of Khafre. Egyptian Museum

And these are still flowers. But the colossi of Memnon, located on the western bank of the Nile, opposite Luxor, are already berries. Not only are they made of ultra-strong quartzite, but they reach a height of 18 meters, and each statue weighs 750 tons. Moreover, they rest on a quartzite pedestal weighing 500 tons! It is clear that no transportation devices could withstand such a load. Although the statues are fairly damaged, the excellent execution of the surviving flat surfaces suggests the use of advanced machine technology.

The Colossi of Memnon are a unique sculptural composition from the times of Ancient Egypt.

But even the greatness of the colossi pales in comparison with the ruins of the giant statue resting in the courtyard of the Ramesseum - the funeral temple of Ramesses II. Made from a single piece of pink granite, the sculpture reached a height of 19 meters and weighed about 1000 tons! The weight of the pedestal on which the statue once stood was about 750 tons. The monstrous size of the statue and highest quality the executions absolutely do not fit into the known technological capabilities of Egypt during the New Kingdom period (1550-1070 BC), to which modern science dates the sculpture.

Granite statue in the Ramesseum

But the Ramesseum itself is fully consistent with the technical level of that time: the statues and temple buildings are created mainly from soft limestone and do not shine with construction delights.

We see the same picture with the colossi of Memnon, the age of which is determined by the remains of the funeral temple located behind them. As with the Ramesseum, the quality of this building is, to put it mildly, not stellar. high technology- unfired brick and roughly fitted limestone, that's all the masonry.

Such an incongruous juxtaposition can only be explained by the fact that the pharaohs simply attached their temple complexes to monuments left over from another, much more ancient and highly developed civilization.

Head of a statue of Pharaoh Senusret III. Obsidian. XII Dynasty. 19th century BC e. Collection Gulbenkian.

EYES OF THE STATUE

There is another mystery associated with ancient Egyptian statues. We are talking about eyes made from pieces of rock crystal, which were usually inserted into limestone or wooden sculptures. The quality of the lenses is so high that thoughts about turning and grinding machines come naturally.

The eyes of the wooden statue of Pharaoh Horus, like the eyes of a living person, look either blue or gray depending on the lighting angle and even imitate the capillary structure of the retina! Research by Professor Jay Enoch from the University of Berkeley has shown the amazing closeness of these glass models to the shape and optical properties of a real eye.

An American researcher believes that Egypt reached its greatest skill in lens processing around 2500 BC. e. After this, such a wonderful technology for some reason ceases to be used and is subsequently forgotten completely. The only reasonable explanation is that the Egyptians borrowed quartz blanks for eye models from somewhere, and when the supplies ran out, the “technology” was interrupted.

WHAT DID THE GODS LOOK LIKE?

The ancient Greek historian Diodorus Siculus wrote from the words of Egyptian priests that mortals ruled Egypt for less than 5 thousand years. The kingdom of people was preceded by the power of gods and heroes, who ruled for an incredible 18 thousand years. The ancient Egyptian priest and historian Manetho also begins his list of Egyptian rulers with a dynasty of gods and demigods.

If we compare the statements of ancient authors and the facts that we have in present moment, it turns out that there was no technological breakthrough. Just starting from the 3rd millennium BC. e. In Egypt, artifacts left over from the first divine dynasties began to surface. It is possible that the pharaohs purposefully searched for, tried to master and, at the same time, appropriate the surviving fragments of this heritage.

ABOUT appearance Sculptural images of the daughters of the reformer pharaoh Akhenaten can tell the true creators of ancient masterpieces. The first thing that catches your eye is the unnaturally elongated shape of the skull, which, by the way, is also characteristic of other works of the Amarna period. This phenomenon gave rise to the hypothesis of a congenital disease in the pharaoh's family. However, about no mental disorders in the family of the ruler, which such a disease would inevitably cause, is not mentioned anywhere.

If the pharaohs were indeed distant descendants of the gods, it is possible that from time to time they could manifest “divine” genes. Is it not with this anatomical feature of the gods that the custom of head deformation, common among various peoples, is connected?

Another important and mysterious detail of the ancient Egyptian sculptural canon is the absolute symmetry of facial proportions. As you know, there are no symmetrical objects in nature. This rule also applies to the human body. Moreover, experiments have shown that photographs composed of strictly symmetrical halves of the same face cause instinctive rejection in a person.

There is something unnatural and alien to human nature in them. But perhaps in the world from which the gods came, other reigned natural conditions, thanks to which the “anomaly” became the norm? Be that as it may, we should listen carefully to the words of Plutarch: “It is not the one who denies the existence of the gods who falls into greater blasphemy, but the one who recognizes them as the superstitious believe them to be.”

Alexey KOMOGORTSEV

It is generally useful to take a closer look at ancient statues. Sometimes they have very strange details that evoke associations with technical devices or devices.

So, for example, a whole series The statues of the pharaohs in the Cairo Museum are accompanied by images of long bars of approximately square cross-section located on the side of the pharaoh. Their size is such that one can compare them to “stilts”. Sometimes the statue has two “stilts”, sometimes only one. Sometimes the top of the “stilts” is decorated with images of gods, and sometimes without them. Some "stilts" have an additional short square "appendage" extending back. As a rule, the “stilts” contain hieroglyphic text.

It is possible, of course, that the “stilts” did not have any real prototype at all, but are only an invention of the sculptor who added this detail, for example, in order to have somewhere to put an important text. But still they give the impression of a completely real-life object.

Rice. 98.Statue of a pharaoh with stilts in the courtyard of the Cairo Museum

One could consider the “stilts” to be some kind of royal staffs - symbols of power. But for a staff, the square section is absolutely uncharacteristic, and even inconvenient. In addition, the “stilts” are too thick – you can’t really grasp them like a staff. Perhaps that is why there is not a single statue where the pharaoh holds a “stilt” with his fingers. He only tightly presses the straightened hand to the “stilt” from the outside, as if fixing the “stilt”, pressing it to the body. The position in which to hold vertically a certain “symbol of power” of this size is generally simply inconvenient - after all, if such a “symbol” were made even of light wood, it would weigh a lot.

One might assume that the “stilts” served as crutches. The pharaohs were living people and led enough active image life - someone could even hurt their legs. But the length is still too long for a crutch. In addition, in “stilts” that have an additional square “appendage” extending back, on which you could lean with your hand on top, this “appendage” is not located at the height of the armpit, but above the pharaoh’s shoulder.

The position of the pharaoh’s hands, the size of the “stilts” and their other features gave us only one association. This could be a special retainer that secures the body in some kind of fast moving vehicle and protects it from falling out of it. vehicle. The way amateurs are fixed thrills on some dangerous rides - for example, roller coasters.

The association is quite strained, of course. But nothing else comes to mind yet.

There are few such statues, but they exist. There are also doubts - do they depict pharaohs?..

Rice. 99.Cobra decoration

Sometimes on the statues of the pharaohs there is an image of a certain decoration in the form of several cobras located nearby with a loose hood. These cobras are located just above the knees.

This decoration inspired us with the idea of ​​some kind of remote control with several functional buttons (cobras). When walking, however, this remote control would be difficult to use - your hands can barely reach it, but in a sitting position, your fingers fall right on the remote control.

It is curious that images of cobras are found very often in Egypt, but there are not so many such decorations on the statues of pharaohs. But it is on those statues that also have “stilts”. What is this - a coincidence?..

The rather unusual arrangement of the decoration in the form of cobras attracted our attention to such a detail of the clothing of the ancient Egyptians as a skirt that protruded strongly forward. It is believed that the Egyptians wore such skirts to emphasize their masculinity - they say, from the outside it seemed that the wearer's skirt was lifted by an erect penis.

Such an explanation for the appearance of a rather strange detail in the outfit (which still had to be somehow ensured) seems quite far-fetched. But such a skirt allows, for example, to place on it a flexible and thin keyboard that has wireless communication with a remote computer, and use it even on the go. We already have similar keyboards...

Rice. 100.Skirt sticking out forward

And of course, one cannot ignore such a detail of the pharaohs’ attire as the uraeus.

The uraeus is an accessory to the royal attire of the pharaohs in the form of a cobra in a fighting stance. The uraeus was worn on a diadem, and since the Middle Kingdom on a crown, and was located on the forehead.

For a long time the royal uraeus was known to Egyptologists only from images and statues. It was assumed that this symbol power passed from pharaoh to pharaoh by inheritance. But in 1919, during excavations in Saqqara, a uraeus of Pharaoh Senusret II was discovered, made of a single ingot of gold with inserts of granite, carnelian, turquoise and lapis lazuli. Another authentic royal uraeus was found three years later in the tomb of Tutankhamun.

Rice. 101.Mask of Tutankhamun with uraeus on the forehead

The uraeus is believed to be a stylized image of the cobra goddess Wadjet, the patroness of Lower Egypt. An image of the kite goddess Nekhbe, the patroness of Upper Egypt, was often placed next to the uraeus. Together they symbolized the unity of the Egyptian state.

In fact, in the interpretation of Egyptologists, everything comes down to symbolism.

However, the gods also wore the uraeus. And not only those who occupied a reigning position. This means that for them the uraeus was not reduced only to a symbol of power, but could well have had a very specific functionality.

In the novel by the Strugatsky brothers “It’s Hard to Be a God” main character Don Rumata put a hoop on his head, on which there was a special video camera that sent a signal to the base orbital station. Thanks to the fact that the camera was thus placed on Don Rumata's forehead, the people at the base station could see everything that the main character himself saw.

Could the uraeus have the same function? Quite. For example, the ancient Egyptians could easily mistake the glare on the lens for the shine of some precious stones and later, when creating dummies of such a video camera, use real precious stones to make them. It's not that hard to confuse a lens with a gemstone if you have no idea what a lens is.

Since many gods wore the uraeus, they could use it as a means of communication with each other.

Rice. 102. It’s not that hard to confuse a lens with a gemstone.

However, ancient legends allow us to put forward a completely different version. According to these legends, the uraeus was a snake that protected from all evils, which spewed fire and was therefore also called the fiery eye of the sun god Ra. So the gods could have had something like a powerful laser, aiming it at the target was as easy as shelling pears - you just had to turn your head in the right direction. And with very little training, ensure that the laser hits the target effectively.

However, the aiming function could also be performed by an additional camera - what Egyptologists consider to be an image of the kite goddess Nekhbe. Fortunately, it was located directly next to the “cobra”...

Sculpture in culture ancient civilization plays a vital role on Earth.

According to the ideas of the Egyptians, one of the human souls - ka - has the ability to reside in two worlds at once: the earthly and the afterlife. Hence the desire to preserve the body of a deceased person by any means (embalming and mummification), as well as the creation large quantity sculptures that can serve as a shell for the soul "ka".

Another feature of Egyptian sculpture is the strict canons (rules) by which all images were created. On the one hand, the sculpture had to be realistic enough for the soul to “recognize” its shell; on the other hand, the canon required complete symmetry in the depiction of a person, and the physique was also subject to strict rules. That is why numerous images of pharaohs, priests and gods seem to be of the same type, and the differences exist only in facial features. Departures from the rules were allowed only when depicting low-class people: officials, military personnel, etc.

The vast majority of ancient Egyptian sculptures are static. Most often, kings and gods are depicted sitting on a throne, or standing, the hands of the figures resting on their knees, or crossed on their chests, their gaze directed straight ahead. This angle created an amazing effect; it seems to the viewer that the statue is looking directly at him, no matter from what angle he looks at the sculpture. Huge eyes of sculptures - also has cult meaning. The Egyptians were sure that a person's soul was in his eyes. Therefore, all sculptures were painted very carefully.

The most famous Egyptian sculpture is the Great Sphinx. Mythical creature with the head of Pharaoh Khafre and the body of a lioness. A monumental sculpture, the guardian of the pyramids served as a guardian of the peace of the kings in the valley of the pyramids. A majestic pose, a look full of peace and detachment, power and inner strength still make an indelible impression on tourists.

Temple sculptures of pharaohs and gods deserve special attention. Executed in strict accordance with the canon, the Egyptian kings are presented as majestic, well-built and aloof. It was possible to depict a pharaoh, a living god, only outside of time and everyday life. All standing sculptures They depict the king taking a step forward (the so-called “step into eternity”), symbolically this signifies the transition of the ruler from earthly life to eternal life.

The sculptural masks of the pharaohs, which covered the faces of the pharaohs in sarcophagi, are extremely interesting. Craftsmen used precious metals and multi-colored enamels to create masks. The most famous mask is that of Pharaoh Tutankhamun.

The sculptural portraits of Egyptian masters left us brilliant examples of realism and plasticity. Portraits of Nefertiti, Teye, Mikerin, Amenhotep III and others are undoubted masterpieces of ancient art. More often sculptural portraits- preserved parts of statues lost over the centuries.

The art of the Amarna period deserves a separate discussion. At this time, when Pharaoh Akhenaten banned the worship of the numerous gods of the Egyptians and proclaimed monotheism. At the same time, artists were allowed to deviate from the canon and depict people as they really are. Therefore, the statues and images of the rebellious pharaoh himself are radically different from the images of other rulers. Before the viewer is an ugly man, with crooked legs and a protruding belly. But the value of these images lies precisely in their historical accuracy and truthfulness.

For their sculptures, the masters of Ancient Egypt used the most different material: wood, alabaster, basalt, quartzite, limestone. The characteristics of each material were taken into account, helping to create unique, special, accurate and reliable images within the framework of strict canons.

The best examples of sculpture from Ancient Egypt are kept in museums in London, Paris, Berlin, and Cairo. Several examples of Egyptian sculpture adorn the streets of St. Petersburg and are also in the Hermitage collection. Pushkin Museum in Moscow.

The mysterious half-smiles of all the statues of Egypt make the viewer look again and again into the eyes of the once great rulers of the most powerful and developed state at the beginning of earthly civilization.

History of the development of statues of ancient Egypt

When exactly was the most ancient statue world - the sculpture of the Sphinx, scientists have not yet identified: some believe that this grandiose structure was seen by the world back in the thirtieth century BC. But most researchers are still more cautious in their assumptions and claim that the Sphinx is no more than fifteen thousand years old.

This means that already at the time of the creation of the most grandiose monument of mankind (the height of the Sphinx exceeded twenty meters and the length - more than seventy), art, in particular sculpture, was already well developed in Egypt. It turns out that the Sphinx statue is actually much older than the Egyptian culture, which appeared in the 4th millennium BC.

Most researchers question this version and so far agree that the face of the Sphinx is the face of Pharaoh Hebren, who lived around 2575 - 2465. BC e. - which means it indicates that this grandiose structure from monolithic limestone rock was carved by the Egyptians. And he guards the pyramids of the pharaohs in Giza.

Almost all researchers agree that the funeral cult of the inhabitants of ancient Egypt played an important role in the development of sculpture - if only because they were convinced: human soul could well return to earth to her body, a mummy (it was for this purpose that huge tombs and structures were created in which the deceased bodies of pharaohs and nobles were supposed to be located). If the mummy could not be preserved, it could well move into its likeness - a statue (which is why the ancient Egyptians called the sculptor “creator of life”).

They created this life according to once and for all established canons, from which they did not deviate for several millennia (special instructions and guidelines were even provided and developed specifically for this purpose). Ancient masters used special templates, stencils and grids with canonically established proportions and contours of people and animals.

The sculptor’s work consisted of several stages:

1. Before starting to work on the statue, the master chose a suitable stone, usually rectangular in shape;
2. After that, using a stencil, I applied the desired design to it;
3. Then, using the carving method, I removed the excess stone, after which I processed the details, grinded and polished the sculpture.

Characteristics of Egyptian sculptures

Mostly ancient Egyptian statues depicted rulers and nobles. The figure of a working scribe was also popular (he was usually depicted with a roll of papyrus on his lap). Sculptures of gods and rulers were usually displayed for public viewing in open spaces.

The statue of the Sphinx was especially popular - despite the fact that structures of the same size as in Giza had never been made anywhere else, there were many smaller duplicates of it. Alleys with its copies and other mystical beasts could be seen in almost all the temples of ancient Egypt.

Considering that the Egyptians considered the pharaoh to be the incarnation of god on earth, the sculptors emphasized the greatness and indestructibility of their rulers with special techniques - the arrangement of figures and scenes, their sizes, poses and gestures (poses intended to convey any moment or mood were not allowed).

The ancient Egyptians depicted gods only according to strictly defined rules (for example, Horus had the head of a falcon, while the god of the dead, Anubis, had a jackal). The poses of the human statues (both sitting and standing) were quite monotonous and the same. All seated figures were characterized by the pose of Pharaoh Khafre sitting on the throne. The figure is majestic and static, the ruler looks at the world without any emotions and it is obvious to anyone who sees him that nothing can shake his power, and the character of the pharaoh is imperious and unyielding.

If a sculpture depicting a man is standing, his left leg always takes a step forward, his arms are either lowered down, or he is leaning on the staff he is holding. After some time, another pose was added for men - the “scribe”, a man in the lotus position.

At first, only the sons of the pharaohs were depicted this way. The woman stands straight, legs closed, right hand lowered, left - at the waist. Interestingly, she does not have a neck; her head is simply connected to her shoulders. Also, the craftsmen almost never drilled out the spaces between her arms, body and legs - they usually marked them in black or white.

The masters usually made the bodies of the statues powerful and well-developed, giving the sculpture solemnity and grandeur. As for faces, portrait features are, of course, present here. When working on the statue, the sculptors discarded minor details and gave their faces an impassive expression.

The coloring of ancient Egyptian statues also did not differ in particular variety: male figures were painted red-brown, female figures yellow, hair black; clothes - white;

The Egyptians had a special relationship with the eyes of sculptures - they believed that the dead could very well observe through them earthly life. Therefore, masters usually inserted precious, semi-precious stones or other materials into the eyes of statues. This technique allowed them to achieve greater expressiveness and even liven them up a little.

Egyptian statues (this does not mean fundamental structures, but smaller products) were not designed to be viewed from all sides - they were completely frontal, many of them seemed to lean back against a stone block, which served as a background for them.

Egyptian sculptures are characterized by complete symmetry - the right and left halves of the body are absolutely identical. Almost all the statues of ancient Egypt have a sense of geometricity - this is most likely explained by the fact that they were made from rectangular stone.

The evolution of Egyptian sculptures

Since creativity cannot help but respond to changes that occur in the life of society, Egyptian art did not stand still and over time changed somewhat - and began to be intended not only for funeral rites, but also for other buildings - temples, palaces, etc.

If at first they depicted only gods (made from precious metals a large statue of one or another deity was located in the temple dedicated to him, in the altar part), sphinxes, rulers and nobles, then they later began to depict ordinary Egyptians. Such figurines were mostly wooden.

Many small figurines made of wood and alabaster have survived to this day - and among them there were figurines of animals, sphinxes, slaves, and even property (many of them subsequently accompanied the dead to the other world).

Early Kingdom statues (IV millennium BC)

Sculpture during this period developed mainly in the three most major cities Egypt - She, Kyptos and Abydos: it was here that there were temples with statues of gods, sphinxes, and mystical animals that the Egyptians worshiped. Most of the sculptures were associated with the ritual of renewing the physical power of the ruler (“heb-sed”) - these are, first of all, figures of sitting or walking pharaohs carved into the wall or presented in a round sculpture.

A striking example of this type of statue is the sculpture of Pharaoh Khasekhem, sitting on a pedestal, dressed in ritual clothing. Already here you can see the main features of ancient Egyptian culture - correct proportions, in which straight lines and monumental form predominate. Despite the fact that his face has individual facial features, they are overly idealized, and his eyes have the convex eyeball traditional for all sculptures of that era.

At this time, canonicity and conciseness are established in the form of expression - secondary signs are discarded and attention is focused on the majesty in the image.

Statues of the Ancient Kingdom (XXX – XXIII centuries BC)

All statues of this period continue to be made according to previously established canons. It cannot be said that preference is given to any particular position (this is especially true male figures) – popular are both full-length statues with the left leg extended forward, as well as those seated on a throne, sitting with legs crossed in the shape of a lotus, or kneeling.

At the same time, precious or semi-precious stones began to be inserted into the eyes, and raised eyeliner was applied. Moreover, the statues began to be decorated with jewelry, thanks to which they began to acquire individual features (examples of such works are the sculptural portraits of the architect Rahotep and his wife Nofret).

At this time, wooden sculpture was significantly improved (for example, the figure known as the “Village Headman”), and in the tombs of those times you can often see figurines that depict working people.

Statues of the Middle Kingdom (XXI–XVII centuries BC)

During the Middle Kingdom in Egypt there were a huge number of different schools– accordingly, the development of sculpture undergoes significant changes. They are beginning to be made not only for tombs, but also for temples. At this time, the so-called cubic statue appeared, which is a figure enclosed in a monolithic stone. Still popular wooden statues, which the craftsmen, after cutting out of wood, covered with primer and painted.

Sculptors are increasingly paying attention to the individual characteristics of a person - with the help of perfectly crafted elements, in their works they show the character of a person, his age and even his mood (for example, just by looking at the head of Pharaoh Senusret III, it becomes clear that he was once a strong-willed , imperious, ironic ruler).

Statues of the New Kingdom (XVI–XIV centuries BC)

During the New Kingdom special development receives monumental sculpture. Not only does it increasingly go beyond the boundaries of the funerary cult, but it also begins to show individual features that are not typical not only of official, but even of secular sculpture.

Yes, and secular sculpture, especially when it comes to female figure, acquires softness, plasticity, and becomes more intimate. If earlier female pharaohs, according to the canons, were often depicted in full royal garb and even with a beard, now they get rid of these features and become elegant, graceful, and refined.

Amarna period (beginning of the 14th century BC)

At this time, sculptors began to abandon the highly idealized, sacred image of the pharaoh. For example, using the example of the huge statues of Amenhotep IV, you can see not only traditional techniques, but also an attempt to convey as accurately as possible the appearance of the pharaoh (both his face and figure).

Another innovation was the depiction of figures in profile (previously the canon did not allow this). During this period, the world-famous head of Nefertiti in a blue tiara, created by sculptors from the Thutmes workshop, also appeared.

Late Kingdom Statues (XI – 332 BC)

At this time, masters begin to adhere less and less to the canons, and they gradually fade away and become conditionally idealized. Instead, They began to improve their technical skills, especially in the decorative part (for example, one of the best sculptures of that time is the head of the statue of Mentuemhet, made in a realistic style).

When Sais was in power, the masters again returned to monumentality, staticity and canonical poses, but they interpreted this in their own way and their statues became more stylized.

After in 332 BC. Alexander the Great conquered Egypt, this country lost its independence, and cultural heritage ancient Egypt finally and irrevocably merged with ancient culture.

The state of Ancient Egypt was rich and powerful. It was in Egypt that monumental architecture, realistically truthful sculptural portraits, and works of artistic crafts originated.

One of the achievements of the Egyptians was the creation human image together with other people. In the art of Ancient Egypt, interest in personality and individual characteristics person.

All ancient Egyptian art was subject to cult canons. Relief and sculpture were no exception here. The masters left outstanding sculptural monuments: statues of gods and people, animal figures.

The man was sculpted in a static but majestic pose, standing or sitting. In this case, the left leg was pushed forward, and the arms were either folded on the chest or pressed to the body.

Some sculptors were required to create figures of working people. At the same time, there was a strict canon for depicting a specific occupation - the choice of a moment characteristic of this particular type of work.

Religious purpose of statues

Among the ancient Egyptians, statues could not exist separately from religious buildings. They were first used to decorate the retinue of the deceased pharaoh and were placed in the tomb located in the pyramid. These were relatively small figures. When kings began to be buried near temples, the roads to these places were lined with many huge statues. They were so big that no one paid attention to the details of the image. The statues were placed at the pylons, during courtyards and already had artistic significance.

In the minds of the Egyptians, man had several essences. Combining them into one gave him hope of finding eternal life. Consequently, in relief and sculpture they created not the images that they saw with their own eyes, but what they wanted to see or found most suitable for happiness and eternal peace in the other world.

During the Old Kingdom, the round form was established in Egyptian sculpture, and the main types of composition emerged. For example, the statue of Mikerin depicts standing man, who extended his left leg and pressed his hands to his body. Or the statue of Rahotep and his wife Nofret represents a seated figure with his hands placed on his knees.

In Egyptian sculpture you can see not only a single image of a person, but also group compositions, where human figures are located on the same line. The main figure is 2-3 times larger than the others. The general rule - to create an exaggerated statue of the king - was also observed in planar images.

What materials did sculptors make their sculptures from? Stone, wood, bronze, clay, ivory. Many huge statues were carved from granite, basalt or diorite. Statues of real human height were molded from sandstone and limestone and covered with paint.

Ancient Egypt sculpture

Sculpture in Egypt appeared in connection with religious requirements and developed depending on them. Cult requirements determined the appearance of this or that type of statues, their iconography and installation location. The basic rules for sculpture finally took shape during the Early Kingdom: symmetry and frontality in the construction of figures, clarity and calmness of poses in the best possible way corresponded to the cult purpose of the statues. These features of the appearance of the statues were also determined by their location near the wall or in a niche. The predominant postures - sitting with your hands on your knees and standing with your left leg extended forward - develop very early. A little later, the “scribe pose” appears - a person sitting on crossed legs. At first, only the king's sons were depicted in the scribe's pose. Family groups also appear early. A number of rules were mandatory for all sculpture: straight positioning of the head, some attributes of power or profession, certain coloring ( male bodies was brick-colored, women's hair was yellow, and her hair was black). The eyes were often inlaid with bronze and stones.

The bodies of the statues were made exaggeratedly powerful and developed, giving the statue a solemn elation. In some cases, faces, on the contrary, were supposed to convey the individual traits of the deceased. Hence the early appearance of sculptural portraits in Egypt. The most remarkable, now famous portraits were hidden in tombs, some of them in walled rooms where no one could see them. On the contrary, the statues themselves could, according to the beliefs of the Egyptians, observe life through small holes at eye level.

Mastering the sculptor portrait art, probably contributed to one of the means by which they tried to save the corpse from decay: sometimes it was covered with plaster. At the same time, the face looked like a plaster mask. However, since the eyes had to be open to depict the face of a living person, such a mask required additional processing. Apparently, this technique of removing a mask and casting it was used by sculptors when working on portraits. In some tombs, two types of statues are found: one - conveying the individual features of a person, depicting him without a wig and dressed in the fashion of his time; the other with a face interpreted in a much more idealized way, dressed in a short formal apron and a fluffy wig. The same phenomenon is observed in relief. It is not yet possible to reliably explain this; all that is certain is that these statues reflected various aspects funeral cult. Wooden statues were discovered in a number of tombs, which may have been associated with one of the moments of the funeral ritual, when the statue was raised and lowered several times. The ritual of “opening the mouth and eyes” was performed over the statue, after which it was considered to come to life and was able to eat and speak.

In addition to statues of the dead, figurines of workers were also placed in the tomb, especially in the Middle Kingdom, who, it was believed, were supposed to ensure the afterlife of the deceased. This leads to other requirements for sculptors - to depict people engaged in a wide variety of work. In full accordance with general requirement Egyptian art, for each lesson a characteristic moment is selected, which becomes canonical for this type. The general rules, for example, frontality and accepted coloring, remain the same here.

Statues played a large role in the architectural design of temples: they bordered the roads leading to the temple, stood near pylons, in courtyards and interior spaces. Statues that had a large architectural and decorative meaning differed from purely cult statues. They were made in large sizes and were interpreted in a general way, without much detail.

The tasks of the sculptors who worked on cult images of gods, kings and private individuals were different. A large group consisted of royal statues dedicated by the pharaohs to the temple in order to forever place themselves under the protection of the deity. Prayers on such statues usually contain requests for health, well-being, and sometimes requests of a political nature. Changes in the field of ideology that occurred after the fall of the Old Kingdom led to changes in the field of art: the pharaoh, trying to glorify his power, placed his statues not only in mortuary sanctuaries, but also in temples of various deities; such figures were supposed to glorify the living ruler and convey portrait likeness as specifically as possible.

As a sign of the pharaoh’s special mercy, statues of nobles, in particular the architects who built this temple, were also dedicated to the temple. At first it was possible to dedicate your statue to the temple only with the permission of the pharaoh, but with a change religious ideas and by the extension of certain royal rites to the nobility, and then to the middle strata of society, the privilege of dedicating their statues to the temple passed to private individuals.

Even towards the end of the Old Kingdom, regions were identified whose monuments were distinguished by their originality. In the Middle Kingdom, centers were identified (in particular, the workshops of Middle Egypt) with their own characteristics and traditions. The light figures with elongated proportions, originating from Siut (modern Asyut), differ from those of Meir with their short heads and emphasized chest muscles; softly interpreted body shapes and the absence of sharp lines are characteristic of Abydos sculpture.

The period of the XVIII dynasty is the heyday of Egyptian art, in particular in the field of sculpture. Special direction appeared at the end of this period under the influence of a new religious and philosophical teaching and state cult created by Amenhotep IV (Akhenaton). Having broken with the old canon, the royal sculptors of that time developed new ones. artistic principles. At the same time, striving to transfer characteristic features models, they over-sharpened and emphasized them. A new canon began to be developed based on the iconography of the reformer pharaoh himself. However, later statues of the Amarna period are distinguished by a more refined image and lack of exaggeration. The sculptural portraits of Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti from the workshop of the sculptor Djehutimesu are world famous. During the 19th Dynasty, there was a return to previous traditions, especially in Thebes. The political situation that developed in the second half of the New Kingdom led to the allocation of northern workshops. Statues with powerful torsos, thick arms and legs, and wide, flat faces were contrasted with the external elegance and grace of sculpture with elongated proportions.

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