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Egyptian Antiquities :
Egyptian Collection/HK : Egyptian Double-Sided Limestone Plaque Depicting a Falcon and a Head
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Egyptian Double-Sided Limestone Plaque Depicting a Falcon and a Head - X.0322
Origin: Egypt
Circa: 600
BC
to 200
BC
Dimensions:
8.25" (21.0cm) high
Collection: Egyptian
Style: Lae Kingdomt
Medium: Limestone
Additional Information: HK, SOLDArt Logic--l'Etoile d'Ishtar (Paris) 2002, Safani Gallery Inc. (New York) 2003
Location: UAE
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| Description |
Although traditionally called sculptors'
models or
trial pieces, some scholars have
suggested that
objects such as this one were in fact
ex-votos.
Otherwise, it is believed that such
works
functioned as aids for apprentices to
learn the
art of sculpting step by step before
embarking
upon royal commissions where one mistake
could mean disaster. Similar plaques
were
unearthed in what are thought to have
been
artist workshops, thus their
identification as
models. It would be unlikely that a wall
panel
would have been carved on both sides.
Today,
these plaques give us unique insight
into the
creative process behind some of the most
endearing and enduring artworks ever
created by
mankind.
A gorgeous rendition of a falcon
standing to the
right on a rectangular pedestal has been
carved
onto one side of this limestone
sculptor’s model.
The Ancient Egyptians believed that the
pharaoh
was the living incarnation of the sky
god Horus,
who was traditionally depicted as a
falcon or a
falcon-headed man. The intricacy of the
carefully incised feathers, claws, and
facial
features is truly stunning. To the left
of the
falcon, a coiled Uraeus cobra has been
depicted
with an ankh dangling from its neck.
The other
side of this limestone plaque depicts a
man
facing right. The man wears a skullcap.
He has a
delicately rendered ear, a frontal
almond-
shaped eye, elegant nose, slightly
smiling lips,
and rounded cheeks.
Is it possible that Egyptian artists
sought their
inspiration not from nature but from
such
models? Considering the stylization of
Egyptian
art, it is clear that there was not much
room for
individual interpretation. When one
realizes that
many sculptors would have been
responsible for
decorating a single tomb or temple,
stylistic
unity becomes a foremost concern. While
the
artist who originally carved the first
falcon or
human head prototype was clearly
inspired by
careful observation of nature, these are
idealized
interpretations of a falcon worthy of
symbolizing
the mighty god Horus himself and a man
whose
beauty and refinement would be suitable
for a
representation of a pharaoh.
- (X.0322)
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