Tag: brooklyn museum

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Mummiform Coffin of Gautseshenu

Mummiform Coffin of Gautseshenu which contains the Weighing of the Heart and other funerary scenes at the Brooklyn Museum.

The Weighing of the Heart scene from the Book of the Dead is my absolute favorite type of religious art from ancient Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–. As a kid, I loved it because Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓁒 was the central god π“ŠΉ in the scene, and Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓁒 is my favorite Egyptian god π“ŠΉ . As an adult, I love what the scene represents and the symbolism behind it. While I have posted multiple versions of this scene from various Books of the Dead, this is the first time I saw it on a coffin and I was just in awe. It’s amazing how well preserved it is and how bright the colors are.

For those unfamiliar with the context of the scene, Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓁒 weighs the heart 𓇋𓃀𓄣 of the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 against Maat’s π“Œ΄π“™π“‚£π“π“¦ feather. If Anubis determines there’s balance between the two, then the deceased would be presented to Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨ π“€­ by Horus π“…ƒπ“€­. This simplified version of the scene is missing Thoth π“…€π“€­ and Amemet.

If you’re looking at the coffin 𓅱𓇋𓀾 from the front, you can see Khepri 𓆣𓂋𓇋𓁛(the winged beetle) and the Four Sons of Horus beneath him. I feel like this coffin 𓅱𓇋𓀾 is the Sparks Notes version of the Book of the Dead – it kinda gives you some of the most important parts in a very small amount of space!

This coffin 𓅱𓇋𓀾 belonged to man named Gautseshenu and is made of cartonnage (ancient paper mache). It is dated to the 25th Dynasty (Third Intermediate Period). It was found in Thebes π“Œ€π“π“Š–.

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Pair Statue

This type of statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ is referred to as a Pair Statue.

The front of a Pair Statue at the Brooklyn Museum

Pair Statues first appeared in the Third Dynasty during the reign of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Djoser 𓂦, however, this example is from the 18th Dynasty (New Kingdom – either the reign of Thutmosis IV 𓇳𓏠𓆣𓏼 or Amenhotep III π“‡³π“§π“Ž ).

The purpose of the Pair Statue was to show closeness between two 𓏻 individuals. This pair statue represents a husband and wife 𓂑𓏏𓁐! The man π“Šƒπ“€€π“€ is named Nebsen and he was a scribe π“Ÿπ“€€ in the treasury, while the woman 𓂑𓏏𓁐 is named Nebet-ta, and she was a singer in the temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰ of Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯. Both scribes π“Ÿπ“€€π“ͺ and singers were held in high regard and were of high status, which is probably how they had the means to procure such a beautiful π“„€ pair statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ!

What I love about this statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ is how beautiful π“„€ the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ are!

The word β€œwoman” can be written multiple ways, either π“Šƒπ“π“‚‘π“π“ or 𓂑𓏏𓁐. The latter can also mean β€œwife.”

There is also a dedication to the god π“ŠΉ Sobek π“‹΄π“ƒ€π“Ž‘π“†‹ (right column on the back):

π“‡“π“π“Š΅π“™π“‹΄π“ƒ€π“Ž‘π“†‹

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Solar Barge – The Book of the Dead

One of the greatest aspects of the Brooklyn Museum’s Egyptian collection is The Book of the Dead for a man named Sobekmose, who had the title β€œGoldworker of Amun.” Sobekmose was buried in Memphis and that is where this papyrus 𓅓𓍑𓏏𓏛 was found. This Book of the Dead dates to the 18th Dynasty (early New Kingdom 1500-1480 B.C.E.). It is displayed as one complete papyrus 𓅓𓍑𓏏𓏛!

The Book of the Dead contained instructions/spells for the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 as they made their way through the underworld 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐. The red text that you see is used to indicate the start of a new spell, the end of a spell, or the names of certain mythological figures.

I love this particular image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 – it shows the sun 𓇳𓏺 god Ra 𓇳𓏺𓁛 in his solar barge that he used to bring the sun 𓇳𓏺 across the sky π“Šͺ𓏏𓇯 during the day 𓉔𓂋𓏺𓇳, and then through the underworld 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐 at night π“ŽΌπ“‚‹π“Ž›π“„›. Ra’s 𓇳𓏺𓁛 journey across the sky π“Šͺ𓏏𓇯 is supposed to be representative of his birth/resurrection (sunrise), growth (day) and then death (sunset). Then, Ra’s 𓇳𓏺𓁛 journey would repeat for another day.

I love how the solar barge is sitting on top of the determinative hieroglyph for β€œsky 𓇯” and that the Egyptian stars 𓇼𓇼𓇼 are also there!

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Relief of Rameses II

There are two 𓏻 different types of reliefs; raised and sunken reliefs. In a raised relief, the images project upward from the rock, while in a sunken relief, the images are carved within the rock.

Most of the time, especially for temple and royal inscriptions, the Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ chose to to raised reliefs because it was less likely to be completely washed out by the sun 𓇳𓏺! Sunken reliefs were mainly used when time was of the essence, because sunken reliefs took less time to carve or when the rock was too hard/dense. Sunken reliefs actually became more popular starting with the 18th Dynasty.

Full Relief of Rameses II at the Brooklyn Museum.

This relief shows Rameses II π“‡³π“„Šπ“§π“‡³π“‰π“ˆ–. What is interesting is the hieroglyphs are sunken reliefs, while the images 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 are raised reliefs.

Usually reliefs were either one or the other, however, this relief has both sunken and raised aspects to it! Many of his titles/cartouches are used in this relief.

Close-Up of the Hieroglyphs.

π“ŽŸπ“‡Ώπ“‡Ώ β€œlord of the two lands”
π“‡³π“„Šπ“§π“‡³π“‰π“ˆ– Rameses II (Usermaatre – throne name)

π“ŽŸπ“ˆπ“₯ β€œlord of appearances”
π“©π“›π“ˆ˜π“„Ÿπ“‹΄π“‡“ Rameses II (Ramessu mery-Amun – birth name)

π“ŒΊπ“©π“›π“„Ÿπ“‹΄π“‡“ – Rameses II (Ramessu mery-Amun – birth name variant)

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Colorful Hieroglyphs

A lot of the time, the pieces that catch my eye in the museums are the limestone fragments that contain colorful hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ.

Colorful Hieroglyphs at the Brooklyn Museum

I don’t know why I like these seemingly unassuming pieces so much, but I do. It’s probably because they’re so colorful! Once upon a time, most Egyptian reliefs were as colorful as this piece, however with the passage of time, most of the colors faded. It’s so cool to almost catch a glimpse of what the colors were like thousands of years ago!

This limestone raised relief came from the wall of a tomb π“‡‹π“«π“Šƒπ“‰. It is dated to the 18th-19th Dynasties of the New Kingdom. I love how detailed the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ are!

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Reliefs from Amarna – featuring Nefertiti!

This is a painted limestone sunken relief of Nefertiti π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“„€π“„€π“„€π“„€π“„€π“‡π“π“­.

Relief of Nefertiti at the Brooklyn Museum

Even though her name does not appear on the relief, thanks to the uniqueness of the Amarna art style, it can be easy to tell who is who in the art. The headdress that Nefertiti π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“„€π“„€π“„€π“„€π“„€π“‡π“π“­ is wearing in this relief is the same headdress that the famous Nefertiti π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“„€π“„€π“„€π“„€π“„€π“‡π“π“­ bust in Berlin wears! You can also see the phrase β€œ 𓏙𓋹” which means β€œgiven life” above her head. The rest of the inscription cannot be read.

The second relief is a raised relief and it was once part of a larger image. It shows feet in sandals! The description from the museum says it’s from an unidentified woman π“Šƒπ“π“‚‘π“π“ or queen π“‡“π“π“π“ˆž. This could be Nefertiti π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“„€π“„€π“„€π“„€π“„€π“‡π“π“­, or one of her and Akhenaten’s π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ– daughters.

Feet In Sandals relief at the Brooklyn Museum

The third piece is a bust. According to the museum, scholars used to think this was a bust of Akhenaten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ–, Smenkhare π“‡³π“Šƒπ“‰»π“‚“π“‚¦π“†£, or Tutankhamun π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“π“…±π“π“‹Ήπ“‹Ύπ“‰Ίπ“‡“. However, more recently, it is thought to show Ankhesenpaaten, the second daughter of Akhenaten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…žπ“π“ˆ– and Nefertiti π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“„€π“„€π“„€π“„€π“„€π“‡π“π“­. Ankhesenpaaten was the wife/queen π“‡“π“π“π“ˆž of Tutankhamun π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“π“…±π“π“‹Ήπ“‹Ύπ“‰Ίπ“‡“ and during his rule changed her name to Ankhesenamun to reflect the switch back to the old religion. The name Ankhesenamun means β€œshe who lives through Amun.”

Tutankhamun π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“π“…±π“π“‹Ήπ“‹Ύπ“‰Ίπ“‡“ also went through a name change when he switched Egypt’s π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– religion back – his original name was Tutankhaten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“π“…±π“π“‹Ήπ“ˆ–π“‡³!

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Raised Relief of Akhethotep

This is a raised relief in limestone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“Œ‰ of an Old Kingdom official π“‹΄π“‚‹π“€€ named Akhethotep π“π“…žπ“Š΅π“π“Šͺπ“€€.

Raised Relief of Akhethotep at the Brooklyn Museum

This piece is from Saqqara and is dated to the Fourth Dynasty. This relief is a beautiful example of Old Kingdom relief style (eyes 𓁹𓏏𓏦 are carved facing the front but the nose π“†‘π“ˆ–π“‚§π“‚‰ and mouth 𓂋𓏺 are in profile) and it shows how a lot of the Egyptian art style persisted throughout the entire length of the civilization. These same features can be seen throughout Egyptian art for thousands of years.

Akhethotep’s π“π“…žπ“Š΅π“π“Šͺπ“€€ name π“‚‹π“ˆ– is located in front of his head 𓁢𓏺. If you notice, the determinative symbol (π“€€) is β€œmissing” from his name in the relief, and is instead written like this: π“π“…žπ“Š΅π“π“Šͺ. The symbol isn’t actually missing – since the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ in this particular relief are read from right to left, the larger image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 of him is used to represent the determinative symbol! The ancient Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ loved to maximize the aesthetics and would often do things like this in order to maximize space on the reliefs! A partial version of Akhethotep’s π“π“…žπ“Š΅π“π“Šͺπ“€€ name π“‚‹π“ˆ– can also be seen above his head 𓁢𓏺.

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Statue of an Official Named Nesthoth

This statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ is of an official π“‹΄π“‚‹π“€€ named Nesthoth. Wealthy Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ would often have a statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ made of themselves because the Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ believed that the soul π“‚“ of a person could inhabit the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ after death 𓅓𓏏𓏱. Having such a statue in a temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰ meant that the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 person would always be present during temple processions.

Statue of an Official Named Nesthoth at the Brooklyn Museum

This statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ is made of a rock π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“ˆ™ called diorite. Diorite is classified as a coarse grained intrusive igneous rock π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“ˆ™, meaning it was formed from the solidification of magma deep underground. Though it can’t be seen in this statue, the β€œcoarse” classification means that the rock π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“ˆ™ has crystals between the sizes of 1mm-10mm in diameter. While Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– has an igneous rock base (as all continents do), diorite was a rare rock π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“ˆ™ to find in Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– because Egypt’s bedrock is mostly granitic. Since diorite was rare and difficult to work with, this statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ was most likely incredibly expensive to commission!

The base of the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ contains the standard offering formula β€œan offering the king gives Osiris” (π“‡“π“π“Š΅π“™π“‹”π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­). The rest of the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ are too difficult for me to read!

The god π“ŠΉ Thoth π“…€π“€­(in his baboon form) is seen with Nesthoth. Thoth π“…€π“€­ was the god π“ŠΉ of writing π“Ÿπ“›π“₯!

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Ancient Egyptian Jewelry

Much like the ancient Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ, I too love jewelry! I mostly wear bracelets 𓂝𓏠𓆑𓂋𓏏𓇛π“ͺ and two 𓏻 snake π“‡‹π“‚π“‚‹π“π“†˜ rings π“‚π“ˆ–π“π“‹ͺ𓏦 from my Nonno and Nonna. I also wear a necklace with an ankh π“‹Ή that my Nonno and Nonna got for me!

Ancient Egyptian Jewelry at the Brooklyn Museum

This blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸π“₯ faience π“‹£π“ˆ–π“π“Έπ“Ό necklace is different from the wesekh collar π“…±π“‹΄π“π“ŽΊπ“‹ that I posted yesterday! For one, necklaces if this style were much easier to make (and cheaper to acquire) and while they did not appear as often in Egyptian art, they were definitely more popular amongst the masses. The gold π“‹žπ“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰ bracelet 𓂝𓏠𓆑𓂋𓏏𓇛 is also fashioned in a similar style!

These simpler necklaces or bracelets 𓂝𓏠𓆑𓂋𓏏𓇛π“ͺ could be have beads or amulets π“Šπ“Šͺπ“…†π“ͺ that were made of materials such as lapis lazuli 𓐍𓋴𓃀𓂧𓏧, malachite, gold π“‹žπ“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰, amethyst, and faience π“‹£π“ˆ–π“π“Έπ“Ό. Rarely, silver was used.

For the blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸π“₯ faience π“‹£π“ˆ–π“π“Έπ“Ό necklace, the heart 𓇋𓃀𓄣 amulet π“Šπ“Šͺπ“…† can be seen amongst other less specific beads. For the gold bracelet, the fly of valor 𓂝𓆑𓆑𓆦 is the amulet π“Šπ“Šͺπ“…† that is used. The fly of valor 𓂝𓆑𓆑𓆦 was given to military leaders who showed courage in battle.

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Statue for a Man Named Kaiemwaset

This is a really interesting statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ!

Statue for a Man Named Kaiemwaset at the Brooklyn Museum

It was made for a man named Kaiemwaset. Although the part that shows Kaiemwaset’s head 𓁢𓏺 is now missing, it used to be part of the statue. This statue was placed in a temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰, and it would have allowed Kaiemwaset to participate in temple rituals when deceased since the Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ believed that the souls π“‚“π“‚“π“‚“ of the dead could inhabit statues. Kaiemwaset was connected to the temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰ of Amun-Ra π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“Ίπ“‡³ at Thebes π“Œ€π“π“Š–, and this statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ is dated to the reign of Thutmosis IV 𓇳𓏠𓆣𓏼(18th Dynasty, New Kingdom).

The best preserved part of this statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ is what Kaiemwaset is holding. It is a sistrum π“Šƒπ“ˆ™π“ˆ™π“π“£, which is a rattle-like musical instrument that usually portrays the head 𓁢𓏺 of the goddess π“ŠΉπ“ Hathor 𓉑. Hathor 𓉑 was the goddess π“ŠΉπ“ of music π“‰”π“‡Œπ“†Έ and all of the fun things in life, and sound of the sistrum π“Šƒπ“ˆ™π“ˆ™π“π“£ was thought to be beloved by Hathor 𓉑. Hathor’s 𓉑 head 𓁢𓏺 is resting on top of the Isis-knot π“Ž¬ (aka tyet knot). On top of Hathor’s 𓉑 head 𓁢𓏺 is a temple entrance/gateway with a cobra π“‡‹π“‚π“‚‹π“π“†˜ in between. The cobra π“‡‹π“‚π“‚‹π“π“†˜ could invoke the protective aspects of the goddess π“ŠΉπ“!