Essay On The Palette Of King Narmer
The image I have chosen to present is of a contemporary Egyptian style vase made in 1990. The vase is an exquisite piece done in lapis blue porcelain and lavished with 24 karat gold. The “Palette of King Narmer” which is the class example bears more contrast than similarity from the contemporary vase. As opposed to the vase, the palette is an actual ancient artifact that depicts the Egyptian culture of its time. The vase on the other hand is merely an artistic piece that aims to depict version of the ancient Egyptian culture. The similarity in the two pieces is that they both have hieroglyphs marked on them purposefully to tell a story. However, the hieroglyphs on palette specifically serve as historical records of King Narmer’s reign.
On one …show more content…
side of the palette, the king is portrayed wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt. He seems to wield a mace in readiness to strike a prisoner. The other side is more detailed as it depicts what appears to be a procession. In the procession, the king wears the red crown of Lower Egypt. Unlike the palette, the vase gives a different story. It tells the story of the cat goddess known as Bast; a legend of joy, love and life for 5,000 years. The image of the goddess is shown in profile. Unlike the palette, the vase is highly ornamented and has an aesthetic appeal. This highlights the difference of the two items in terms of purpose. The vase is clearly for decoration while the palette might have been used for performing rituals to serve its actual purpose which was grinding cosmetics.
The class example shows a photo of a building with Greek architectural style.
The building shows elements of the neoclassical Greek and Roman architecture on the entrance and the windows. Most notably, the Greek architectural style used in the building can be recognized by its symmetrical design and the tall Corinthian columns. My chosen image is also inspired by the neoclassical Greek and Roman architectural style. I chose the Capitol Hill building in Washington D.C. Even though Capitol Hill shares the same architectural style as the building in the class example, their designs are markedly different. Capitol Hill has a portico with huge Corinthian columns and a triangular pediment as opposed to the other building. The designs on the windows are different as well. While the building in the class example has miniature Corinthian columns set on the frame of the windows accompanied with floral relief designs, the windows on Capitol Hill have a rectangular example of the iconic columns set in relief. Another unique element is that on the outside of Capitol Hill there are also two sculptures on both opposite sides of the stairs. The other building does not have any sculptures on its exterior however; on the doorways are notable miniature figures on the arched corners above the Corinthian
columns.
The building in the class example also has arched doorways ornamented with acanthus leaf designs and other motifs, as is common of the Greek architectural influence. The doorways on Capitol Hill are not arched however. They are flat topped and do not feature any elaborate decorations at all. Interestingly, in the class example, the arching on the doorways is a notable feature of Doric columns which might suggest that the architect might have blended the Doric and Corinthian column features creatively to make it unique.
On one …show more content…
side of the palette, the king is portrayed wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt. He seems to wield a mace in readiness to strike a prisoner. The other side is more detailed as it depicts what appears to be a procession. In the procession, the king wears the red crown of Lower Egypt. Unlike the palette, the vase gives a different story. It tells the story of the cat goddess known as Bast; a legend of joy, love and life for 5,000 years. The image of the goddess is shown in profile. Unlike the palette, the vase is highly ornamented and has an aesthetic appeal. This highlights the difference of the two items in terms of purpose. The vase is clearly for decoration while the palette might have been used for performing rituals to serve its actual purpose which was grinding cosmetics.
The class example shows a photo of a building with Greek architectural style.
The building shows elements of the neoclassical Greek and Roman architecture on the entrance and the windows. Most notably, the Greek architectural style used in the building can be recognized by its symmetrical design and the tall Corinthian columns. My chosen image is also inspired by the neoclassical Greek and Roman architectural style. I chose the Capitol Hill building in Washington D.C. Even though Capitol Hill shares the same architectural style as the building in the class example, their designs are markedly different. Capitol Hill has a portico with huge Corinthian columns and a triangular pediment as opposed to the other building. The designs on the windows are different as well. While the building in the class example has miniature Corinthian columns set on the frame of the windows accompanied with floral relief designs, the windows on Capitol Hill have a rectangular example of the iconic columns set in relief. Another unique element is that on the outside of Capitol Hill there are also two sculptures on both opposite sides of the stairs. The other building does not have any sculptures on its exterior however; on the doorways are notable miniature figures on the arched corners above the Corinthian
columns.
The building in the class example also has arched doorways ornamented with acanthus leaf designs and other motifs, as is common of the Greek architectural influence. The doorways on Capitol Hill are not arched however. They are flat topped and do not feature any elaborate decorations at all. Interestingly, in the class example, the arching on the doorways is a notable feature of Doric columns which might suggest that the architect might have blended the Doric and Corinthian column features creatively to make it unique.