I refer to this piece as the βAncient Egyptian version of Tom and Jerryβ!”
“Cat and Mouse” Ostraca at the Brooklyn Museum.
This is an ostracon (or ostraca), which is pretty much a sketch on a limestone fragment. Instead of using papyrus π πππ(which was expensive) to practice drawing, the ancient Egyptian ππππ artists or scribes ππ would use pieces of limestone. It is dated to the 19th-20th Dynasties, aka the Ramesside Period.
Whatβs funny about this is it shows the mouse being served or attended to by the cat π ππ ±π . The cat π ππ ±π is presenting the mouse with a goose as an offering ππ΅ while also fanning him. Itβs almost like an opposite because the cat π ππ ±π is usually the predator while the mouse is the prey. This could have been some type of satire on the elite during the Ramesside period, or a visual representation of a fable that is now lost. Many ostraca from this time period show animals doing human activities!
This well preserved painting of a beautiful woman π€ππππ named Tjepu is from the 18th Dynasty (rule of Amenhotep III π³π§π ) and was originally found in the tomb ππ«ππ of her son π . Tjepu is seen in lavish 18th Dynasty style clothing – including a wig, lots of jewelry and a linen π± dress.
Painting of Tjepu at the Brooklyn Museum
When creating tomb ππ«ππ art, Egyptian ππππ artists did not βrealisticallyβ depict how people actually looked. Instead, they showed people as being eternally youthful. Basically, the artists made people look their best so they could be at their best in the afterlife πΌπΏππ! While Tjepu would have been around 40 ππππ years old at the time that this painting was completed, she was definitely not shown as being 40 ππππ.
This is a raised relief carved in limestone for the 11th Dynasty pharaoh ππ» Mentuhotep III π ππΏπ΅ππͺ. His father πππ reunited Upper and Lower Egypt, so Mentuhotep III π ππΏπ΅ππͺ inherited a mostly united Egypt ππ ππ. He had a relatively short reign of 12 ππ» years.
Limestone Relief for Montuhotep II at the Brooklyn Museum
What was most interesting when I was reading about Mentuhotep III π ππΏπ΅ππͺ was some of the superficial similarities to Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ!! During the 12 ππ» years of his reign, he actually sent an expedition to Punt! He also started building a mortuary temple πππ at Deir el-Bahri, but it was never completed.
This raised relief is beautifully carved, and Mentuhotep III π³π΄πΉπ appears twice. On the left he is seen wearing the Red Crown of Lower Egypt π§ππππ, and on the right he is wearing the nemes headdress ππ π΄. In the middle is the goddess Iunyt, who was a consort of Montu π ππΏπ ±, a war goddessπΉπ. Montu π ππΏπ ± was worshipped widely during the 11th Dynasty.
Many think that this depicts Mentuhotep IIIβs π³π΄πΉπ desire for a sed festival in the 30th πππ year of his reign, however he only ruled for 12 ππ» years.
In the image below, I have highlighted one of my favorite ancient Egyptian phrases, ππΉπ½ππ βGiven eternal life, stability and strength.β
This limestone mummiform coffin π ±ππΎ lid is from the Ptolemaic Period! The New Kingdom is when stone ππππͺ mummiform coffins π ±ππΎπͺ first appeared, however the mummiform coffins π ±ππΎπͺ from that period were usually made of wood π±ππΊ!
This sarcophagus π ±ππΎ belonged to a scribe ππ named Pa-Di-Inpu. He is named after Anubis πππͺπ ±π£ (Anubis is the Greek name while Inpu is the Egyptian name) and served as a scribe ππ in the cult of Anubis πππͺπ ±π£. Pa-Di-Inpu also served as a scribe ππ and priest πΉπ in the cult of Hathor π‘!
Limestone Mummiform Coffin Lid at the Brooklyn Museum (and me)!
This head of a princess or queen ππππ is one of the finer statues πππππΎπͺ to survive from the Middle Kingdom (12th Dynasty 1876-1842 BCE). The remnants of a Uraeus πππππ on her forehead is an indication that this woman π»π΄ππ was royal. Also it is believed that this head was once part of a sphinx ππ ±ππ€ because of the way the womanβs π»π΄ππ wig breaks off in the back!
Head of a Princess or Queen at the Brooklyn Museum
The eyes πΉππ¦ of this statue πππππΎ once contained colored stones, however they were taken out of the statue πππππΎ in antiquity. I canβt even imagine how beautiful π€ it would look with the inlaid eyes πΉππ¦!
This piece has made quite an interesting journey. It was not actually found in Egypt ππ ππ! Instead, this piece was found in Hadrianβs villa in Rome! Hadrian was a Roman Emperor, who built a villa near Tivoli as a way to escape everyday life! Hadrian was emperor from 117 to 138 AD, so this statue was almost as βancientβ to him as it is to us! Hadrian had a lot of Egyptian ππππ antiquities in his villa – I guess Hadrian loved Egypt ππ ππ just like we do!
Fun fact: the ancient Egyptians πππππͺ had no word for βQueen.β Instead, ππππ was used which means βKingβs wife.β
There was also a way to distinguish a regular woman from a royal or noble woman: π»π΄ππ – Noble woman πππ – woman/wife
The block statue πππππΎ (made of limestone) was first fashioned by artists during the 12th Dynasty, and the style was very popular at the time! This block statue πππππΎ is from the 18th Dynasty though. Both Tutankhamun ππ πππ ±ππΉπΎπΊπ and Ay, Akhenatenβs ππππ³π ππ successors sought to restore not only the Egyptian pantheon, but also traditional art styles that had either been completely forgotten or had lost popularity.
Block Statue of Ay at the Brooklyn Museum
This particular block statue πππππΎ is of a man named Ay, who served as a high priest πΉπ of Mut ππΏπ during the rule of Tutankhamun ππ πππ ±ππΉπΎπΊπ. There is some blend of traditional Egyptian art styles and Amarna art styles in this statue πππππΎ, and it almost serves as a transition piece between the two parts of the 18th Dynasty. The cartouches of the pharaoh ππ» Ay π³π£π£πͺπΉππ appear in the hieroglyphic πΉππͺ text πππ₯. The cartouches were added later, after the statue πππππΎ was completed as a way to βupdateβ the statueβs πππππΎ text πππ₯.
Block Statue of Ay at the Brooklyn Museum (and me)!
Fun fact: more statues πππππΎπͺ of Amenhotep III π³π§π have survived than any other 18th Dynasty pharaoh ππ», and this is a very interesting statuette of Amenhotep III π³π§π ! Amenhotep the III π³π§π was the father πππ of Akhenaten ππππ³π ππ, who was originally named Amenhotep IV, until he changed his name to reflect the Aten ππππ³.
Statue of Amenhotep III at the Brooklyn Museum
The first thing that struck me was the artistic style. It seems to be very grounded in realism, which is odd because most pharaohs ππ»π¦ wanted to be depicted as being in peak physical condition. It also illustrates some aspects of Amarna-style art, such as the previously mentioned realism and the sagging/exaggerated belly. This piece almost seems to be a precursor to the Amarna style. I find these transition-type pieces so interesting!
The statuette is made of ebony wood π±ππΊ and has glass inlaid eyes πΉππ¦ and eyebrows. The hieroglyphs πΉππͺ on the base are thought to refer to one of Amenhotep IIIβs π³π§π sed festivals (he ruled for 38 years). The hieroglyphs πΉππͺ on the base also contain errors, which means it is probably of non-royal production. The exact purpose of the statuette is unknown, but it is thought that it could have been used in a household shrine ππΊ to the pharaoh ππ». Household ππΊ statues/shrines actually became popular during the reign of Akhenaten ππππ³π ππ.
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 ππ ππ. As a kid, I loved it because Anubis πππͺπ ±π’ was the central god πΉ in the scene, and Anubis πππͺπ ±π’ is my favorite Egyptian god πΉ . 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. Itβs amazing how well preserved it is and how bright the colors are.
For those unfamiliar with the context of the scene, Anubis πππͺπ ±π’ weighs the heart πππ£ of the deceased π ππ± against Maatβs π΄ππ£ππ¦ feather. If Anubis determines thereβs balance between the two, then the deceased would be presented to Osiris πΉπ¨ π by Horus π π. This simplified version of the scene is missing Thoth π €π and Amemet.
If youβre looking at the coffin π ±ππΎ from the front, you can see Khepri π£πππ(the winged beetle) and the Four Sons of Horus beneath him. I feel like this coffin π ±ππΎ 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 π ±ππΎ 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 πππ.
This special amuletΒ ππͺπ Β is known as a Heart Scarab! This particular Heart Scarab belonged to HatneferΒ ππ€π, who was the motherΒ π ππΒ of SenemutΒ π’ππ πΌ! SenemutΒ π’ππ πΌΒ was HatshepsutβsΒ ππ ππΉππππΌπͺΒ most trusted advisor (amongst other things π)!Β
Heart Scarab of Hatnefer at the MET
In ancient Egyptian culture, the heart πππ£ was not only the center of a personβs life πΉ, but also thinking, memory, and moral values. The heart πππ£ was not removed during the mummification process, because the deceased π ππ± person would need it on their journey through the afterlife πΌπΏππ. The personβs heart πππ£ would be weighed against Maatβs ππ΄π£ππ¦ feather ππΊ by Anubis πππͺπ ±π£, and that would determine if the deceased π ππ± would be presented to Osiris πΉπ¨π and then enter the Field of Reeds πππ ππΏππ ±π°π, or eternal π life πΉ. This was called the βWeighing of the Heart,β and it is something I have written extensively about!
So how does the Heart Scarab play into this? In modern terms, the Heart Scarab could be seen as a βcheat codeβ for getting past the βWeighing of the Heartβ – this special scarab ππͺπππ£ is inscribed ππ ±π with Chapter 30A from the Book of the Dead (most are inscribed with Chapter 30B). In this spell, the deceased π ππ± asks their own heart πππ£ to not betray them during the βWeighing of the Heart.β
Basically, the ancient Egyptians πππππͺ feared the outcome of their final judgement so they developed this amulet ππͺπ as a way to ensure a positive outcome to the scales!
Here is an excerpt from Chapter 30A: β Do not stand against me as witness beside the lords of the ritual, Do not say against me, he did do it, about my actions, Do not make a case against me beside the great god, Hail my heart, Hail my heartβ¦β
Thereβs a lot going on in this picture ππ ±π, but I really like this display at the British Museum! This display contains statuesΒ πππππΎπͺΒ that all have to do with funerary practices.Β
On the bottom left, there are multiple figures of Ptah-Sokar-Osiris. Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figures connect three gods πΉπΉπΉ that are connected to rebirth/resurrection into a single statue πππππΎ. These statues πππππΎπͺ became popular during the Late Period and they seemed to have evolved from the figures of Osiris πΉπ¨π that became popular in tombs ππ«πππ¦ during the 19th Dynasty (New Kingdom). These figures are always a mummiform figure on a wooden π±ππΊ base.
On the bottom right is a corn mummy in a falcon πππ‘π sarcophagus ππΉπππ. While millions of animal mummies have been found at sites all over Egypt ππ ππ, mummies made of grains like wheat and barley have also been found. Corn Mummies are meant to be a representation of the god πΉ Osiris πΉπ¨π and Egyptologists came to this conclusion because the βcoffinsβ that contain the corn mummies almost always contain Osirisβ πΉπ¨π name ππ and his titles/epithets.
The middle-right shows wooden π±ππΊ funerary figures of Isis π¨ππ₯ and Nephthys π ππ which were also popular figures to find in tombs ππ«πππ¦ from the Late Period and onward. Isis π¨ππ₯ and Nephthys π ππ were sisters π’ππππͺ and both funerary goddesses πΉπΉπΉπ. Similar statues πππππΎπͺ can be seen in museums around the world!
The top left shows various figures and representations of the god πΉ Osiris πΉπ¨π, who was the main funerary god πΉ in the Egyptian pantheon.
