« November 24th - History of Art - Palace of Minos | Main | One Less Wedding Hassle - ITheeSnap.com! »
November 25th - The History of Art - Egyptian Art - King Tut
When Howard Carter found King Tut's tomb he gave the world a priceless treasure. So many of the tombs of the pharoahs had been ransacked in ancient history and there were more holes in our understanding of Ancient Egypt than there was substance. Take a virtual tour of King Tut's tomb.
I have always been fascinated with Egypt and hope to one day visit. The pyramids, the Sphinx, the Valley of the Kings...these things beckon me. The mysteries they still hold, call out to be answered. I loved the movie The Mummy because I could relate to the character played by Rachel Weiss. The treasures, the scrolls, the hieroglyphics that we have uncovered point to such an amazing civilization that in so many ways seems so far ahead of its time.
And the art that has come out of ancient Egypt has been some of the most spectacular the world has ever known. Take for instance the Death Mask of Tutankhamun. He was a minor pharoah in the grand scheme of things. A boy who was murdered after only 9 years on the throne. But even with his reign having such insignificance, his death mask and all the treasures that filled his tomb were spectacular.
Death Mask of Tutankhamun
King Tut's death mask was created from gold and precious stones, including lapis lazuli. The mask has symbolic significance; Tutankhamun's beard and headcloth were symbols of his royalty; the cobra on this forehead was protective, its role being to spit poison at enemies of the Pharoah; lapis lazuli was also believed to have powers of protection.
Everything from the paintings to the sculptures of the gods and goddesses (such as these images of Isis) not only tell us so much about the culture of Ancient Egypt, but provide us with a feast for the eyes. Beauty, detail, and bright pigmentation turn the art that was treasured in Ancient Egypt into art that is treasured today.
Painted Image of Isis
Sculpture of Isis
For more fun with ancient Egypt, check out these lesson plans:
For more on the history of art, check out my other posts in the Art History category (check out my categories in the sidebar).
Have fun!
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: November 25th - The History of Art - Egyptian Art - King Tut.
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.whattofix.com/blog/mt-tb.cgi/1339
Egyptian art is absolutely unique and beautiful. It is emotional to connect with people from so long ago through the art they made. Isn't that something!
We had a wonderful time learning about ancient Egypt over our first term of school! I'd love to go there some day as well.
Sherry
ps I'd love to get your address to send you a Christmas card! You can send it to: bibliomane@myway.com