Egyptian Sculpture Analysis
Sculpture 1
The Statue Group of Nen-kheft-ka and His Wife, Nefer-shemes
The Statue Group of Nen-kheft-ka and His Wife, Nefer-shemes was found in a rock-cut tomb at Deshasheh and sculpted by an unknown Egyptian artist in 2350 BC. The artist uses all aspects of composition to convey Egyptian dominance. Using a Standard Egyptian Scale, the figures were carved in proportions seen to be ideal by the Egyptians. The sculpture was carved out of limestone. It was richly painted with brightly colored paint. Now, only traces of the paint are visible. This piece is currently on view at The Walter’s Art Museum.
Nen-kheft-ka is depicted is his most idealized form—muscular, athletic, youthful, and large in size, all of which evoke a sense of male dominance. His left leg advances forward as he rests his weight on his right leg. This pose creates a sense of depth and movement within the form, however in order to maintain durability, his legs are still fully connected to each other and to their base. The combination of his reddish skin tone, black painted eyes, and tightly curled, detailed wig is very typical of Egyptian Art in the Old Kingdom. The close attention to detail indicates how important the figure was and illustrates the skill of the artist.
Nefer-shemes accompanies Nen-kheft-ka as his wife and inferior. She is not carved with the same attention to detail as her husband was perhaps because she was of less importance. Unlike the wig of her husband, the strands of her hair are not defined. Instead, her hair is merely a block of limestone. Nefer-shemes proportions are very unnaturalistic and they reveal the Egyptian’s ideal proportion of human features. Her waist is very slender while her hands and feet are too large compared to the rest of her body.
Nen-kheft-ka and wife’s faces are very similar to each other as well as to other portraits of their time, which confirms they were based off standard Egyptian ideals and were not veracious portraits. The over
The Statue Group of Nen-kheft-ka and His Wife, Nefer-shemes
The Statue Group of Nen-kheft-ka and His Wife, Nefer-shemes was found in a rock-cut tomb at Deshasheh and sculpted by an unknown Egyptian artist in 2350 BC. The artist uses all aspects of composition to convey Egyptian dominance. Using a Standard Egyptian Scale, the figures were carved in proportions seen to be ideal by the Egyptians. The sculpture was carved out of limestone. It was richly painted with brightly colored paint. Now, only traces of the paint are visible. This piece is currently on view at The Walter’s Art Museum.
Nen-kheft-ka is depicted is his most idealized form—muscular, athletic, youthful, and large in size, all of which evoke a sense of male dominance. His left leg advances forward as he rests his weight on his right leg. This pose creates a sense of depth and movement within the form, however in order to maintain durability, his legs are still fully connected to each other and to their base. The combination of his reddish skin tone, black painted eyes, and tightly curled, detailed wig is very typical of Egyptian Art in the Old Kingdom. The close attention to detail indicates how important the figure was and illustrates the skill of the artist.
Nefer-shemes accompanies Nen-kheft-ka as his wife and inferior. She is not carved with the same attention to detail as her husband was perhaps because she was of less importance. Unlike the wig of her husband, the strands of her hair are not defined. Instead, her hair is merely a block of limestone. Nefer-shemes proportions are very unnaturalistic and they reveal the Egyptian’s ideal proportion of human features. Her waist is very slender while her hands and feet are too large compared to the rest of her body.
Nen-kheft-ka and wife’s faces are very similar to each other as well as to other portraits of their time, which confirms they were based off standard Egyptian ideals and were not veracious portraits. The over