Formal and Ekphrasis Analysis Of The palette of King Narme
The palette of King Narmer: Formal Analysis
The Palette of King Narmer is a very small, flat 64 centimeters tall, shield shape palette that is believed to be used for holy ceremonies. Sculpt from smooth leveled siltstone. The siltstone is a soft yet dim color of gray. Small in scale, the palette is created with numerous intriguingly beautifully detailed carvings, and illustrations that fully decorate both sides. These detailed carvings take up most of the negative space of both sides of the foreground, and middleground. While the negative space is adequately filled with the cared illustrations, the flat composition lacks true depth of field or deep space.
The top of the palette is garnished with what looks to be the illustration of two horned beast. Place on the very top or the Palette on the left and right top, this is also repeated on the back as well as the front. This creates a balance and symmetrical design. In the center of the two horned creatures is the emblem of Narmer's name symbolically illustrated in a form of a serekh, adding to the symmetry. The horned anamorphic beings' heads are illustrated in an unusual front angle, instead of the usual, Egyptian profile art style of illustrating heads, and faces. " The animal's heads are drawn from the front, which is rather uncharacteristic of later Egyptian art"("The Ancient Egypt Site." The Ancient Egypt Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 11Feb. 2014.).
The Narmer Palette shows slight alterations of style from other works of art from that era. Within the carving itself, Narmer is illustrated, and positioned in an uncharacteristically, by strategically being placed in the center of the image, while illustrated to be larger, when compared to the rest of the composition, and illustrated figures.
The creative , and imaginative elements, are greeted with contrasting textural surfaces. The integration between the palette's smooth siltstone surface, and the contrasting
The Palette of King Narmer is a very small, flat 64 centimeters tall, shield shape palette that is believed to be used for holy ceremonies. Sculpt from smooth leveled siltstone. The siltstone is a soft yet dim color of gray. Small in scale, the palette is created with numerous intriguingly beautifully detailed carvings, and illustrations that fully decorate both sides. These detailed carvings take up most of the negative space of both sides of the foreground, and middleground. While the negative space is adequately filled with the cared illustrations, the flat composition lacks true depth of field or deep space.
The top of the palette is garnished with what looks to be the illustration of two horned beast. Place on the very top or the Palette on the left and right top, this is also repeated on the back as well as the front. This creates a balance and symmetrical design. In the center of the two horned creatures is the emblem of Narmer's name symbolically illustrated in a form of a serekh, adding to the symmetry. The horned anamorphic beings' heads are illustrated in an unusual front angle, instead of the usual, Egyptian profile art style of illustrating heads, and faces. " The animal's heads are drawn from the front, which is rather uncharacteristic of later Egyptian art"("The Ancient Egypt Site." The Ancient Egypt Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 11Feb. 2014.).
The Narmer Palette shows slight alterations of style from other works of art from that era. Within the carving itself, Narmer is illustrated, and positioned in an uncharacteristically, by strategically being placed in the center of the image, while illustrated to be larger, when compared to the rest of the composition, and illustrated figures.
The creative , and imaginative elements, are greeted with contrasting textural surfaces. The integration between the palette's smooth siltstone surface, and the contrasting
Cited: Janson, H W, Penelope J. E. Davies, and H W. Janson. Janson 's History of Art: The Western Tradition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2011. Print. "Egypt: An Introduction to Egyptian Art 2." Egypt Travel Guide - Tour Egypt. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. "The Ancient Egypt Site." The Ancient Egypt Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.