Dorothea Arnold

"The Egyptian Old Kingdom (c. 26502150 BC) was an era of extraordinary artistic achievement-the period that gave us the Sphinx and the pyramids as well as a rich legacy of private tombs, wall paintings, reliefs, statuary, jewelry, and decorative arts. This book, the companion volume to a major traveling exhibition organized by New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Louvre in Paris, showcases the most impressive assemblage of Egyptian art and artifacts since the Tutankhamun exhibition of the late 1970s. Scholarly essays and 650 illustrations bring to life a remarkable panoply of Old Kingdom objects-temple and tomb reliefs, striking gold jewelry, handsome stone vessels, monumental statues, stelae, and exquisite statuettes. Together, text and images create a stunning tribute to the world of the Pharaohs"--Publisher's description.

Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids

Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.)

Herbert E. Winlock

In 1907, more than a decade before the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, archaeologists unearthed remains from the mummification and funeral of the pharaoh, who ruled ancient Egypt in the 14th century B.C. Now in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, these materials provide physical evidence of burial rites of the now-legendary king, who is making headlines once again after new scientific investigations to determine the cause of his early death. Tutankhamun's Funeral includes a classic text written in 1941 by Herbert E. Winlock, one of the early 20th century’s leading Egyptologists, featuring in-depth analysis of the objects and their significance. In addition, an introduction and appendix by Dorothea Arnold update the findings with recent scholarship. The book is illustrated throughout with new color photography as well as many historical images and drawings.

Tutankhamun's Funeral

Arnold Dieter

Egyptian Art of the Old Kingdom

When the Pyramids Were Built

During a brief seventeen-year reign (ca. 1353-1336 B.C.) the pharaoh Amenhotep IV/Akhenaten, founder of the world's first known monotheistic religion, devoted his life and the resources of his kingdom to the worship of the Aten (a deity symbolized by the sun disk) and thus profoundly affected history and the history of art. The move to a new capital, Akhenaten/Amarna, brought essential changes in the depictions of royal women. It was in their female imagery, above all, that the artists of Amarna departed from the traditional iconic representations to emphasize the individual, the natural, in a way unprecedented in Egyptian art. A picture of exceptional intimacy emerges from the sculptures and reliefs of the Amarna Period. Akhenaten, his wife Nefertiti, and their six daughters are seen in emotional interdependence even as they participate in cult rituals. The female principle is emphasized in astonishing images: the aging Queen Mother Tiye, the mysterious Kiya, and Nefertiti, whose painted limestone bust in Berlin is the best-known work from ancient Egypt - perhaps from all antiquity. The workshop of the sculptor Thutmose - one of the few artists of the period whose name is known to us - revealed a treasure trove when it was excavated in 1912. An entire creative process is traced through an examination of the work of Thutmose and his assistants, who lived in a highly structured environment. All was left behind when Amarna was abandoned after the death of Akhenaten and the return to religious orthodoxy.

Images of Beauty from Ancient Egypt

The Royal Women of Amarna

Untersuchungen zur Kunst von Argos und Sikyon zwischen Polyklet und Lysipp

Die Polykletnachfolge

Dieter Arnold

Adela Oppenheim

Kei Yamamoto

The Middle Kingdom (ca. 2030–1650 B.C.) was a transformational period in ancient Egypt, during which older artistic conventions, cultural principles, religious beliefs, and political systems were revived and reimagined. Ancient Egypt Transformed presents a comprehensive picture of the art of the Middle Kingdom, arguably the least known of Egypt’s three kingdoms and yet one that saw the creation of powerful, compelling works rendered with great subtlety and sensitivity. The book brings together nearly 300 diverse works— including sculpture, relief decoration, stelae, jewelry, coffins, funerary objects, and personal possessions from the world’s leading collections of Egyptian art. Essays on architecture, statuary, tomb and temple relief decoration, and stele explore how Middle Kingdom artists adapted forms and iconography of the Old Kingdom, using existing conventions to create strikingly original works. Twelve lavishly illustrated chapters, each with a scholarly essay and entries on related objects, begin with discussions of the distinctive art that arose in the south during the early Middle Kingdom, the artistic developments that followed the return to Egypt’s traditional capital in the north, and the renewed construction of pyramid complexes. Thematic chapters devoted to the pharaoh, royal women, the court, and the vital role of family explore art created for different strata of Egyptian society, while others provide insight into Egypt’s expanding relations with foreign lands and the themes of Middle Kingdom literature. The era’s religious beliefs and practices, such as the pilgrimage to Abydos, are revealed through magnificent objects created for tombs, chapels, and temples. Finally, the book discusses Middle Kingdom archaeological sites, including excavations undertaken by the Metropolitan Museum over a number of decades. Written by an international team of respected Egyptologists and Middle Kingdom specialists, the text provides recent scholarship and fresh insights, making the book an authoritative resource.

The Middle Kingdom

Ancient Egypt Transformed

Dorothea Arnold

Books

Your next favorite book is out there