Gifts for the Gods: Images from Ancient Egyptian Temples

Hill, Marsha, and Deborah Schorsch, eds. (2007)

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Description

Throughout their long history, the ancient Egyptians crafted luminous statues of bronze, copper, silver, and gold for use in interactions with their gods—from ritual dramas enacted in the inner sanctuaries of temples to festival processions and celebrations attended by the multitudes. This volume, which accompanies an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, is the first to focus on the art and significance of Egyptian metal statuary. Marshaling fresh insights to present a new appreciation of this lustrous work, the authors trace continuities in the development of the statuary, illuminate how its production was integrated within artistic and social structures, and examine its potential role in ritual practice.

Metal statuary offers a surprising view of Egyptian art because the cultural, social, and manufacturing networks from which it emerged were often different from those that produced stone statuary, the more familiar artistic expression of ancient Egypt. In the presence of these extraordinary images of gods and pious individuals, the temples, in particular, emerge as crucibles in which diverse influences came together to replenish the art and beliefs of Egyptian society. The superb statues and statuettes illustrated in this volume were made in a variety of precious metals and copper alloys over a span of some two millennia. Especially dramatic are those from the Third Intermediate Period (ca. 1070–664 B.C.), an era whose conventional name belies its great artistic accomplishment. The splendid statuary from this period, the apogee of the Egyptian metalworking tradition, is perhaps best represented by the sumptuous figure of a priestess and noblewoman named "Takushit," whose entire body surface is covered with texts and depictions of god intricately inlaid with thin strips of precious metal.

Also included in this volume are two essays on recent archaeological discoveries that shed light on poorly understood aspects of Egyptian metal statuary. These reports on excavations at the Sacred Animal Necropolis in North Saqqara and at the village of 'Ayn Manâwir in the Kharga Oasis yield insight into the practices surrounding temple statuary, notably that these works were provided by donors for actual use in the temple and, after many years of service, reverently decommissioned and buried in large caches. The final essay explores and explains the intricate technological aspects of Egyptian metal statuary as an integral part of its unique appeal. The technical descriptions provided for each work are thus as precise, detailed and consistent in terminology as possible—crucial considerations for a field of sculptural studies in which accurate information about manufacture and material is inextricably linked to an appreciation of the artistry and history of the medium.

Table of contents

Sponsor's Statement
Director's Foreword
Acknowledgments
Contributors to the Catalogue
Lenders to the Exhibition
Note to the Reader

I. Art and Influence in Temple Images
Marsha Hill

II. Charting Metal Statuary: The Archaic Period through the Pre-Thutmoside new Kingdom (ca. 3100–1479 B.C.)
Marsha Hill

Catalogue Entry
Eleni Tourna

III. Shifting Ground: The New Kingdom from the Reign of Thutmose III (ca. 1479–1070 B.C.)
Marsha Hill

Catalogue Entries
Deborah Schorsch

The Complexity of Alloys: New Discoveries About Certain "Bronzes" in the Louvre
Elisabeth Delange

IV. Heights of Artistry: The Third Intermediate Period (ca. 1070–664 B.C.)
Marsha Hill

Figural Surface Decoration on Bronze Statuary of the Third Intermediate Period
John H. Taylor

Catalogue Entries
Richard Fazzini, Marsha Hill, Edna R. Russmnun, Deborah Schorsch, John H. Taylor, Eleni Tourna, and Maria Viglaki-Sofianou

V. Casting About: The Late Period (664–332 B.C.) and the Macedonian-Ptolemaic Period (332–30 B.C.)
Marsha Hill

Catalogue Entries
Marsha Hill, Diana Craig Patch, Maarten Raven, Edna R. Russmann, and Eleni Tourna

VI. Lives of the Statuary
Marsha Hill

Catalogue Entries
Marsha Hill and Adela Oppenheim

An Assemblage of Bronze Statuettes in a Cult Context: The Temple of 'Ayn Manawir
Michel Wuttmann, Laurent Coulon, Florence Gombert

Bronzes from the Sacred Animal Necropolis at North Saqqara
Sue Davies

VII. The Manufacture of Metal Statuary: "Seeing the Workshops of the Temple"
Deborah Schorsch

Works in the Exhibition
Bibliography
Index

About the authors

Marsha Hill is Curator in the Department of Egyptian Art, and Deborah Schorsch is Conservator in the Sherman Fairchild Center for Objects Conservation, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Press reviews

Minerva

"... superb, beautifully illustrated ... includes an excellent text ..."

Choice Reviews Online

"... a worthy accompaniment to a remarkable collection of statuary. Impressive in its technical and art historical detail, it continues the Metropolitan Museum's fine tradition of expert publications. ... Scholars will undoubtedly appreciate the comprehensive index and up-to-date bibliography."

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Essays (6)

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Egypt in the Middle Kingdom (2030–1640 B.C.)

Egypt in the New Kingdom (ca. 1550–1070 B.C.)

Egypt in the Third Intermediate Period (1070–712 B.C.)

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Timelines (1)

Egypt, 1000 B.C.–1 A.D.

Exhibition

Gifts for the Gods: Images from Egyptian Temples

This exhibition is the first ever devoted to the fascinating yet enigmatic statuary created by the ancient Egyptians for interactions with their gods. These copper, bronze, gold, or silver works had a variety of uses—from ritual dramas in the temples and chapels that dotted the landscape to festival processions through the towns and countryside that were thronged by believers. On view are some seventy superb statues and statuettes created in precious metals and copper alloys over more than two millennia. Masterpieces from around the world are represented, including seven extremely rare inlaid and decorated large bronzes from the so-called Third Intermediate Period (1070–664 B.C.), the apogee of Egyptian metalwork.

Understanding the precious metal and bronze statuary of ancient Egypt poses particular challenges. Reverently decommissioned and buried in large temple deposits after long use, the statues often lack historical inscriptions or, indeed, any contextual information. Metal statuary also reveals a somewhat surprising view of Egyptian art, because it represents different cultural, social, and production structures than those of Egypt's more widely recognized stone creations. For instance, the depiction of Hepu (National Archaeological Museum, Athens) with full natural hair—as opposed to the traditional wig—marks him as a member of a newly visible group, probably a soldier in the wars of the early New Kingdom (ca. 1550–1478 B.C.). Through their recent studies of metal statuary, scholars have been able to elaborate a new framework for metal statuary and gain a new appreciation of these works of art.

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