Day 17 – Art for the Dead

Today, I wanted to talk a little bit about the tomb of Khonsu, another of the Egyptian tombs I’ve been looking at. (http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/srvt/hd_srvt.htm). Khonsu was part of a crew of artisans who carved and decorated royal tombs in the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. What a job to put on your résumé, right? These artisans put an enormous amount of time and effort into creating the Pharaohs’ tombs, but they also used their talents to create their own (more modest) tombs.

Khonsu had two anthropoid coffins prepared for him (see below). (Apparently, the term “anthropoid coffin” refers to a coffin in the shape of a human). Khonsu’s coffins were covered with various magical symbols and texts. As you can see from the picture, the details are quite elaborate.

Khonsu’s tomb also contained shawabtis – little figurines which would substitute for Khonsu if he were called upon to perform manual labor in the afterlife. (See an example, below. Also, can we just pause here for a moment and say, it would be awesome if I could get some shawabtis to take care of things for me in this life?)

There was obviously a lot of attention to detail put into these coffins and they are, I think, very beautiful. And this was not even the coffin of royalty. Take a look below at the death mask of the famous King Tut. This beautiful masterpiece is made of gold, colored glass, and semiprecious stones. (http://wysinger.homestead.com/kingtutankhamun5.html)

It’s kind of amazing how much work was put into items that were only going to be buried in a tomb. For the Ancient Egyptians, who had strong beliefs regarding the afterlife, I guess it makes sense. I’m glad that these works of art finally made it out of the tombs and into museums so we can enjoy them today. I bet the individuals who were buried with these items would have been appalled, however, to know the eventual fate of their tombs’ treasures! Is it disrespectful that we now use these treasures for our own artistic gain? It might seem silly, but who are we to say that Khonsu doesn’t still need his shawabtis to help him with manual labor in the afterlife? I suppose the answer to that is that, as our understanding of the world evolves, it’s pretty unlikely that the kind of afterlife that Khonsu anticipated exists, and these treasures serve a better purpose being used for the education and enjoyment of modern people. What do you think?

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 16 – Art in the Everyday

Today I’m going to talk about something that struck me as I was reading about the tomb of Hatnofer- one of the tombs I mentioned in my blog yesterday. (http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/htnf/hd_htnf.htm) It really stood out to me that the Egyptians seemed to decorate so many “everyday” objects. For example, Hatnofer’s tomb contained several mirrors. I’ve posted a picture of one of these, below. The handle of the mirror shows a woman’s face with cow’s ears and a curled wig (which symbolized Hathor, the goddess of love and beauty – the Egyptians’ entire lives seemed to have pretty much revolved around their religious beliefs). Although a mirror is a basic utility item, this mirror contains this artistic depiction of a goddess, an important part of Hatnofer’s life.

I’m not sure if it was just that the “special” items which made it into the Egyptians’ tombs, while the actual common, everyday items weren’t decorated; or, if all utility items in Ancient Egypt were decorated symbolically. But, it made me think about how sometimes art is all around us. For example, my favorite coffee mug is decorated with a strawberry pattern. I love how it looks and I bought the mug because of the pattern. I certainly did not need any more mugs, and the mug would certainly function just as well if it were plain white. However, seeing those strawberries in the morning as I pour my coffee just makes me happy for some reason.

Today, these ponderings just left me full of random questions. What purpose does art serve in our everyday life? To make us happy, like the strawberries on my mug? To symbolize important aspects of our lives, like the goddesses on Hatnofer’s head? Do these things even really “count” as art? Or, maybe, a better question is, what should the requirements be for something to count as art? Is happiness/symbolism enough, or do we need something else- some kind of official, technical merit, if you will? I think, maybe, that is something every person decides for himself or herself.

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 15 – Egyptian Tombs

I didn’t have much more time to blog today. My family was still in town and then I had to take Baby Girl for her two month shots. She was not happy about that, and was obviously not feeling well afterwards. However, she finally took a nap and when she woke up seems to be feeling better. I’m just crossing my fingers that she doesn’t get a fever – I’m pretty much terrified of her getting a fever!

Even though this blog is going to be short again today, I just wanted to talk a little more about the Egyptian tombs I’ve been reading about during my coffee time. It’s really interesting to me that the Egyptians spent so much time and so many resources on burying people. The Metropolitan Museum’s website discusses three different tombs which were excavated in Egypt by an expedition of the Metropolitan’s Department of Egyptian Art. The tombs belonged to Wah, Hatnofer, and Khonsu. I’ll be writing more about these tombs and searching for others over the next few days. I have to say, I do love ancient art like this. It’s all got such a haunting, otherworldly feel. Perhaps it’s because the Egyptians were decorating for people who had died, or perhaps it’s because these pieces are just so very, very old! Either way, I’m looking forward to more learning over the weekend, and to reinvigorating my discovery of art. In the meantime, here’s a vignette from a coffin lid, from sometime around 1279-1213 B.C.

Have a great holiday weekend, everyone- and check in for blog updates if you have a chance!

Xoxo,

Diana

Day 14 – Coming Soon - but not today - Egyptian Art.

So, this morning, I was trying to think of a different direction to go in learning about art. I tried to think about experiences I have really enjoyed at museums, and I remembered a really nice exhibit I once saw about the Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun. Ancient art, and Ancient Egyptian art in particular, really fascinates me.

I looked for Egyptian art on the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s website, and found some information on Egyptian tombs that I think might be a good place to start. (http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/egtb/hd_egtb.htm). However, I have family in town and have had a long day, so you’ll have to wait until tomorrow or this weekend for a full blog on this type of art. I’m too tired to write much right now. In the meantime, here’s an Egyptian painted limestone on which to feast your eyes. More soon!

Xoxo,

Diana