Ancient Egyptian art

Ancient Egyptian art comprises paintings, reliefs, sculpture, and decorated objects made in Egypt from prehistoric times through the Roman period. Its conventions served religious, funerary, and royal purposes.

Canon of Proportions: A system of measured rules for representing the human body in Egyptian art. Its grid-based rules helped artists preserve ideal body proportions across figures and periods.
Egyptian tomb painting: Painted scenes and inscriptions decorating ancient Egyptian tombs. Tomb walls preserve the best-known examples of Egyptian painting and its funerary purposes.
Narmer Palette: A ceremonial slate palette bearing some of the earliest known depictions of an Egyptian king. Its carved scenes establish royal imagery and conventions near the beginning of dynastic Egypt.
Predynastic Egypt: The period of Egyptian history before the establishment of the first pharaonic dynasty. Predynastic objects show visual traditions that preceded monumental royal art.
Egyptomania: The fascination with ancient Egyptian imagery and objects in modern culture. European and American artists and designers repeatedly borrowed Egyptian forms and motifs.
Composite view: A representational method combining multiple viewpoints of a subject in one image. It explains why Egyptian figures show heads in profile, eyes frontally, and torsos partly turned.
Egyptian relief: Sculpted images that project from or are cut into a stone or plaster surface. Relief carving let temples and tombs carry durable scenes and inscriptions.
Statue of Khafre: A diorite statue of the Old Kingdom pharaoh Khafre, seated with the falcon god Horus behind him. It exemplifies the idealized, enduring image of kingship in royal sculpture.
Old Kingdom of Egypt: The period of ancient Egyptian history associated with the early pyramid-building dynasties. Its pyramids, tombs, and statues established enduring models of royal art.
Egyptian Revival architecture: A modern architectural style inspired by ancient Egyptian buildings and ornament. Its columns, gateways, and motifs translate ancient visual forms into modern settings.

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