[Detail of the Cartonnage Enclosing the Mummy of the “Lady of the House,
Tesha”. Dynasty XXII-XXV]
Detail of the Cartonnage Enclosing the Mummy of the “Lady of the House,
Tesha”. Dynasty XXII-XXV
The Egyptian collection, purchased from the Drexel Institute, includes
over seven hundred objects, ranging from sculpture and painting to
furniture and utensils of daily life. It affords an adequate illustration
of the conditions under which art flourished in the ancient land of the
Nile, and of the characteristic forms of art expression which were evolved
to meet these conditions.
After monumental architecture, the system of decoration evolved by the
Egyptians is perhaps their greatest contribution to the world’s art. A few
characteristics of Egyptian painting and sculpture may be noted. Color is
used in flat areas without gradation and effects of light and shade. In
drawing, outline is the principal mode of representation. Various
conventions originating in the primitive stages of art, such as the
representation of the human body with head and legs in profile and the
shoulder to the front, became traditional and were continued with little
change throughout later periods. These conventions, however, did not
prevent the artist in the more vigorous periods of Egyptian art from
noting with great keenness of observation many truths of nature. This
curious conflict between realistic observation and conventional means of
representation is characteristic of Egyptian art. In free-standing
sculpture, the variety of postures was limited to a few unvarying poses.
On the whole, in the figurative arts, types and subjects remain unchanged
throughout Egyptian history, although from time to time the informing
spirit was different.
This immutable character of Egyptian art is thoroughly consonant with the
idea of duration which was so strongly a controlling factor in Egyptian
life. We cannot consider here the manifold ramifications of Egyptian
religious belief, but one central tenet—that existence continued after
death—must receive some attention, since this belief in the after-world
explains many features that might otherwise be puzzling. The tomb, for
example, was thought of as the real dwelling house, “the eternal house of
the dead”; the houses of the living were merely “wayside inns.” As a
result, domestic architecture was inconsequential; all efforts were
concentrated on the construction and decoration of tombs and temples.
[Coffin and Mummy of the “Lady of the House, Tesha” From Thebes, Dynasty
XXII-XXV.]
Coffin and Mummy of the “Lady of the House, Tesha” From Thebes, Dynasty
XXII-XXV.
The mummy is enclosed in a cartonnage, made of many layers of linen held
together by plaster, elaborately decorated by inscriptions and figures of
the gods. The anthropoid coffin is made of wood, and is also richly
decorated. Tesha was the daughter of the Doorkeeper of the Golden House
(or Treasury) of Amon at Thebes.
It was believed that man was composed of different entities each having
its separate life and function. First, there was the body itself; then,
the Ka or double—the ethereal projection of the individual, corresponding
in a way to our ghost. Two other elements were the Ba or soul and the Khu
or luminous spark from the divine fire. Each of these elements was in
itself perishable. Left to themselves, they would hasten to dissolution,
and the man, as an entity, would be annihilated. This catastrophe,
however, could be averted through the piety of the survivors. The
decomposition of the body could be prevented, or at least suspended, by
the process of embalming; prayers and offerings saved the other elements
from the second death and secured for them all that was necessary for the
prolongation of their existence. The influence upon the arts of these
religious beliefs is interesting to note. Scenes of harvesting, hunting,
and similar episodes connected with the offering of food were painted or
carved upon the tomb walls, generally for an utilitarian purpose. Through
the recitation of prayers and magic formulae, the pictured semblances of
food became reality and saved the hungry Ka from annihilation in case
actual offerings should fail him. In the same way, portrait statues were
placed in tombs to provide a semblance of the deceased to which the Ka
could return were the actual body destroyed. These instances are perhaps
sufficient to show us how closely art was related to religion in ancient
Egypt.