In the book Living with Art by Mark Getlein, part five; Arts in Time, chapter fourteen; Ancient Mediterranean Worlds, discusses art in the different ancient cultures around the Mediterranean. Egypt had a brief section in the chapter. Analysis of the Seated Scribe (page 330), gives us a better understanding of the everyday people in Ancient Egypt and the importance of the preservation of history.
The statue was found the Necropolis at Saqqara, by the Djoser step pyramid, in 1850 by Auguste Mariette. The statue is made from painted limestone and alabaster. It has rock crystal eyes and wooden nipples. The height of the piece is 21 inches. It was carved in the fourth or fifth dynasty, 2600-2350 B.C.E., Old Kingdom. Unfortunately, little …show more content…
By understanding the visual elements and principles of design, we get a better understanding of this man, his daily life, and our past.
Even though, he did not have pharaonic status, he was still of high class because he had a statue made in his liking, a very extraordinary one, at that. The color of the Seated Scribe is outstanding for being around 4,500 years old! The color palette is very simple, black for the hair, white for the kilt and papyrus, and red ochre for the body. All three colors in the piece are heavily saturated, may be why it has lasted for so many years. The statue shows movement by how the legs are carved out from the base and how the kilt has been carved. They have been carved in a way that, give the illusion of movement. It also shows movement in the eyes. The eyes are made from rock crystal and magnesite with a copper inlay. This technique gives the eyes life and they almost seem to look at you. There is a symmetrical balance to the statue. You could cut …show more content…
I have spent hours in museums looking at different ancient Egyptian exhibits. I never really cared for the gold and opulence. I was more interested in the everyday people and their lives. That is one reason I chose the Seated Scribe, the second reason is because of the emotion I felt back in 2003. I will never forget the time my mom took me to see Eternal Egypt at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, back in February, 2003. It was a surprise birthday present. It was a huge traveling exhibit from the British Museum (I think). I spent all day in the exhibit (sorry mom!) and never even made it to the rest of the museum! I loved every moment and tried to take as much of it as I could. I remember on piece in particular, it was the tools from a scribe. I distinctively remember looking at the artifacts that came from a scribe and getting truly emotional. It had all of his tools; reed brushes, cups, paint palette (with paint dye still visible), papyrus and “practice” boards. I stood there amazed that these delicate tools survived and that someone had actually used them! For some reason I felt a strong connection to these tools. It was the first time I have had that type of an emotional experience in a
The statue was found the Necropolis at Saqqara, by the Djoser step pyramid, in 1850 by Auguste Mariette. The statue is made from painted limestone and alabaster. It has rock crystal eyes and wooden nipples. The height of the piece is 21 inches. It was carved in the fourth or fifth dynasty, 2600-2350 B.C.E., Old Kingdom. Unfortunately, little …show more content…
By understanding the visual elements and principles of design, we get a better understanding of this man, his daily life, and our past.
Even though, he did not have pharaonic status, he was still of high class because he had a statue made in his liking, a very extraordinary one, at that. The color of the Seated Scribe is outstanding for being around 4,500 years old! The color palette is very simple, black for the hair, white for the kilt and papyrus, and red ochre for the body. All three colors in the piece are heavily saturated, may be why it has lasted for so many years. The statue shows movement by how the legs are carved out from the base and how the kilt has been carved. They have been carved in a way that, give the illusion of movement. It also shows movement in the eyes. The eyes are made from rock crystal and magnesite with a copper inlay. This technique gives the eyes life and they almost seem to look at you. There is a symmetrical balance to the statue. You could cut …show more content…
I have spent hours in museums looking at different ancient Egyptian exhibits. I never really cared for the gold and opulence. I was more interested in the everyday people and their lives. That is one reason I chose the Seated Scribe, the second reason is because of the emotion I felt back in 2003. I will never forget the time my mom took me to see Eternal Egypt at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, back in February, 2003. It was a surprise birthday present. It was a huge traveling exhibit from the British Museum (I think). I spent all day in the exhibit (sorry mom!) and never even made it to the rest of the museum! I loved every moment and tried to take as much of it as I could. I remember on piece in particular, it was the tools from a scribe. I distinctively remember looking at the artifacts that came from a scribe and getting truly emotional. It had all of his tools; reed brushes, cups, paint palette (with paint dye still visible), papyrus and “practice” boards. I stood there amazed that these delicate tools survived and that someone had actually used them! For some reason I felt a strong connection to these tools. It was the first time I have had that type of an emotional experience in a