Mycerinus And His Queen Analysis

Throughout time art has been the main connection between the many generations of people who have roamed earth. Slight and noticeable contours in varying pieces of art tell stories of royalty, reveal the nuances between different culture and present historical facts. Egypt, a country that has literally and figuratively been painting pictures of their world through art since the start of time, have many particular pieces of art that tell more than just seen. The sculpture Mycerinus and his queen, from the time period 2532-2504 BCE represents many ideals and truths about ancient Egypt. This sculpture holds true the anatomical human form; however, many aspects of the sculpture are idealized coinciding with the various stylized elements. The naturalistic …show more content…
Both bodies are meant to give off a strong and youthful vibe. The sculptor stylized the rigid body of the pharaoh to show strength and power. Mycerinus’ shoulders are extremely broad and rigid, on either side of his body his arms lay evenly straight against his body. His arm muscles are clearly indented at the varying muscles and creases. The shoulder muscles bulge out sideways, while the elbow crease is clearly marked. Mycerinus hands are tightly clenched against his body, while his bottom stance shows power. His left foot is clearly in front of his right, similar to the queen. The visible sections of the legs are clearly muscular: the shins and the knees are unrealistically protruding from the body, which emphasizes athleticism and muscularity in the legs. The abdomen follows a similar pattern: Mycerinus’ torso is extremely rigid and strapping. The pectoris muscle is carved into the body and below this muscle a straight line beginning below the pectoris muscle and ending right above the belly button. These overly emphasized muscles and body shape do not match the real life image of the pharaoh, yet instead an idealized version. Which leads to relation between art and idealization. Egyptian’s had ideals for humans and their bodies: a lot of the desires had to do with symmetry. Mycerinus and his queen’s faces are both very symmetrical. Both sides of the face mirror each other; along with symmetry the faces also possess qualities of beauty. Both Mycerinus and the queen have detailed features, in which the artist carved in high cheekbones beneath the eyes, created pouted lips where the lip shape is circular and has a slightly swollen appearance. The nose of both of the figures are rounded, yet petite. However, the ideals among male and female differed, which can be seen in the face of the queen which has more shape in comparison to the