A Companion to Ancient Egyptian Art

How did ancient Egyptians define “art”—and how did the myriad of artistic works they produced mirror their worldview? A Companion to Ancient Egyptian Art presents a comprehensive collection of original essays exploring key concepts, critical discourses, and theories that shape the discipline of ancient Egyptian art. Themes and topics include methodological approaches and theoretical concepts, the development of Egyptian art and its connections with other cultures, technology and interpretation, and current debates surrounding field and museum conservation. In addition to providing overviews of past and present scholarship on a broad range of topics relating to art in ancient Egypt, readings pave the way for new avenues of exploration that are certain to stimulate ongoing and future debate. With its unprecedented breadth of coverage and impeccable scholarship, A Companion to Ancient Egyptian Art is an indispensable reference resource for the field of ancient Egyptian art history.

Notes on Contributors ix Foreword xiii Preface xv Acknowledgments xvii List of Abbreviations xix List of Illustrations xxi List of Plates xxxi Chronology of Egyptian Kings xxxiii Chronology of Kushite Rulers xli Maps xlv 1 WhatIsArt? 1 John Baines PART I Methodological Approaches 23 2 Historiography of Ancient Egyptian Art 25 Diane Bergman 3 Style 39 Melinda K. Hartwig 4 Connoisseurship 60 Jack A. Josephson 5 Iconography and Symbolism 78 Maya Müller 6 Semiotics and Hermeneutics 98 Valérie Angenot 7 Gender and Sexuality 120 Gay Robins 8 Reception and Perception 141 Alexandra Verbovsek 9 Representing the Other: Non-Egyptians in Pharaonic Iconography 155 Ann Macy Roth 10 Interpreting Ancient Egyptian Material Culture 175 Salima Ikram PART II Materials and Mediums 189 11 Sculpture 191 Melinda K. Hartwig 12 Relief 219 Alexandra Woods 13 Painting 249 Francesco Tiradritti 14 Coffins, Cartonnage, and Sarcophagi 269 Kathlyn M. Cooney 15 Luxury Arts 293 Arielle P. Kozloff PART III Concepts in Art 307 16 Ideology and Propaganda 309 Ronald J. Leprohon 17 Religion and Ritual 328 Emily Teeter 18 Narrative 344 Nadja S. Braun 19 The Ordering of the Figure 360 William H. Peck 20 Portraiture 375 Betsy M. Bryan PART IV Interconnections with the Larger World 397 21 Egyptian Connections with the Larger World: Greece and Rome 399 Barbara Mendoza 22 Egyptian Connections with the Larger World: Ancient Near East 423 Mehmet-Ali Ataç 23 The Art and Architecture of Kushite Nubia 447 Peter Lacovara PART V Reception of Ancient Egyptian Art in the Modern World 463 24 Egyptomania: Fascination for Egypt and Its Expression in the Modern World 465 Jean-Marcel Humbert PART VI Technology and Interpretation 483 25 Interpretation 485 Nigel Strudwick 26 Technology 504 Richard Newman 27 Conservation of Egyptian Objects: A Review of Current Practices in the Field and in Museum Settings 522 Susanne Gänsicke Index 545