Art History Test 2
Explain why the lamassu figures have 5 legs.
Ancient sculptors insisted on complete views of animals. This four-legged composite monster that guarded an Assyrian palace has five legs--two legs when seen from the front and four in profile view. Hence, why there were five legs in total.
What do the The Victory Stele of Naram-Sin and The Stele of Hammurabi have in common regarding the cultural context in which they were made and found? Select ALL answer that apply.
Both were made to honor or commemorate the king whose name is associated with the stele. Hundreds of years after they were made, a king carried off both stele as spoils of war.
Which of the following is not true of Ashurbanipal hunting lions?
The relief shows the king and his guards hunting a lion in the wild.
Which of these best describes the subject and conventional symbolism seen in Judgement of Hunefer?
The weighing of the heart after death
What conventions did Akkadian artists use to represent the human body in relief sculpture?
They represented the body in a composite view.
Why was Head of an Akkadian ruler damaged?
This piece was damaged/ruined because it was knocked over in antiquity when the Medes sacked the city. Some of the damage such as the eye and ears were removed was done on purpose to make a political statement by the attackers for power.
How do we recognize the king in the relief scene of Ashurbanipal hunting lions?
We can recognize the king in the relief scene due to the use of the hierarchy of scale, showing his importance and amount of power, over all the others around him in the piece.
What do the tomb, death mask, coffin, and tomb items tell us about the cultural context in which Tutankhamen lived and died?
When King Tut was found, in his tomb all his treasures were inside and kept alongside him. Items such as jewelry, sculptures, and his coffin. There were multiple layers to his coffin. His funerary mask had the fake beard, headdress, and showed expensive detail and jewels within it. The cultural prepared their things they used in daily life, for use in their afterlife as well. The effect in general of the mask and these tomb treasures as a whole was how the rich and grand elite expressed their Egyptian power, pride, and limitless wealth.
How and why did Woolley preserve the shapes of the wooden Lyres he excavated at Ur?
Woolley preserved this by filling the spaces left by the decayed wood, with wax and plaster. He preserved this piece because he wanted to depict fully what the original Lyres looked like.
What is the original purpose of a Mastaba?
a burial tomb
What is a composite pose?
a conventions where of part of the figure in profile and part head on
What is a votive statue?
a figure that represents a worshiper or a donor to the gods
What is a ziggurat?
a tiered platform with a temple on top
What does the iconography of the sphinx symbolize?
the intelligence of a man and the strength of a lion
What is the "ka"?
the life force that can continue to inhabit a body after it is dead
Which of these best describes the visual structure of this sculpture of Khafre.
the sculpture is bilaterally symmetrical
Identify a symbol used in this relief of Akhenaton and his family. What does this symbol represent?
A symbol in this relief of Akhenaton and his family would be the rays coming from above the pharaoh, his wife, and three of their daughters. These are the rays of Aton, the sun disk, which end in hands holding the ankh, the sign of life. He and his family are basking in the life-giving rays of Aton. The pharaoh declared this to be the universal and only god. Akhenaten deleted the name of Amen from all inscriptions and even his own name and his fathers. He claimed to be both the son and only prophet of Aton. In a way, he is having his family bask in his own power.
Explain how conventions for depicting Egyptians of different classes (wealthy and powerful vs less wealthy and less powerful) differed in Egyptian art. Please refer to examples from the book or lecture.
Conventions for depicting rulers were to show them as powerful, perfect, and strong. This was done in the portraits of Khafre and that of Menkaure and his Queen. They are all seen standing or sitting up stiff and straight, the kings are muscular with fake beards and headdresses. In the portrait of Menkaure and his queen, Menkaure has one larger step out than the queen to show power. She is also conferring power to him by wrapping her arm around him. As for "regular people", they were seen in much more natural positions. For example, the portrait of the seated scribe shows him sitting down comfortably, looking like he is getting ready to write. There is softness in the body. The book tells us that a man who sits around writing is not seen as strong or muscular as those who rule.
What do we know about how cylinder seals fit into the cultural context of Mesopotamian society?
Cylinder seals were prized possessions signifying status in society.
Compare these two sculptures from Willendorf in Chapter 1 and the the Temple of Geshtinanna from Chapter 2. Earn one point each for comparing the subjects, conventions, visual structure, and physical properties. (Look for similarities and/or differences.) You may write your answer in the form of a list.
Gudea is shown holding a jar from which water flows freely into two streams, one running down each side of his cloak. Fish swim in the coursing water. In Mesopotamian art, gods and goddesses often hold similar overflowing vessels, which symbolize the prosperity they bring to their people. Venus of Willendorf's anatomical exaggeration has suggested to many observers that this served as a fertility image. Venus has no facial features and focuses mostly on the larger breasts, curves, stomach, and thighs of the female figure. Gudea has a detailed face showing eyes, a nose, and a mouth. Along with that, there is detail into the clothes that the figure is wearing and even detail on the limbs of the piece. The venus figurine is made of limestone, is a nude woman, and is 4 1/4 inches high. Gudea standing would be the subject, holding an overflowing water jar from the temple of Gshtinanna, girsu. Made of Calcite, and is 2 feet and 3/8 of an inch high. Both have a similar dotted pattern headdress you could say, on their heads.
Identify specific symbols and iconography we can "read" in the Victory Stele of Naram-Sin.
In the Victory stele of Naram-Sin, we see Naram-Sin leading his army up the slopes of a wooded mountain. The king stands by himself, showing to be much taller than his men. He also wears the honored helmet signifying divinity. At least three favorable stars shine on his triumph. Naram-Sin also seems to be scaling the ladder to the heavens.
How did this female head from Warka look different in its original context than it appears now?
It had inlaid eyes and eyebrows, a wig and a wooden body with clothing.
Describe the subject and symbolism of the Palette of Narmer.
Narmer palette was used as a formalized version of a utilitarian object, commonly used to prepare eye makeup that was worn to protect the eyes from the glare of the sun. Narmer's palette is "a document marking the transition from the prehistoric to the historical period of ancient Egypt." The palette symbolizes the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. The front has two felines wrapped around with long necks coming together. This symbolizes the unity. There is a bull breaking down walls, which symbolizes the strength of Narmer as he conquered Lower Egypt.
Describe the original physical properties of the great pyramids at Gizeh and how they have changed since they were built.
Originally, Gizeh's four sides of each of the pyramids were oriented to the cardinal points of the compass. It was constructed of about 2.3 million blocks of stone weighing an average of 2.5 tons. The shape of the pyramid was a solar reference, perhaps intended as a solidified version of the rays of the sun. Since they were built, apart from natural changes by, for example, the weather, the greatest change has been their loss of the white 'casing stones'. As you can see the siding of the buildings has deteriorated, losing some of the sizes and shape it once was.
Describe how conventions in the Amarna period differed from conventions during the rest of the ancient Egyptian period we studied in this chapter.
The Amarna period is when we started to see different conventions in how people were depicted. For example, this portrait of Akhenaten shows the ceremonial beard, his hands are positioned like King Tuts, along with the headdress and skirts. However, there is a soft belly and curvy hips/waistlines, different from the need to be portrayed as perfect and strong in the previous portraits we have seen in this chapter. There is also a large difference in the elongated nose and face and limbs, almost appearing more feminine rather than that of male power and muscles. There is also a change of a position where they are starting to be in more natural and playful positions, rather than stiff and tense straight-up positons.
Describe the conventions used to represent humans and/or animals on the sides of the Standard of Ur.
The artists showed all the asses in strict profile, consistent with an approach to representing animals. Many of the human figures are depicted in a composite view, seeing as their heads tend to be in a profile view while their bodies are twisted.
In the Sumerian Votive Statues, what is the symbolic importance of the overly large eyes?
The eyes symbolize that the figures are constantly paying attention and offering prayers
What is unusual about King Hatshepsut as depicted in this artwork?
The king was a woman
In this relief, what is the reason for the increased scale of the swimmers and archers compared to the castle?
The larger figures are easier to see and recognize.
Which of these best describes the Egyptian conventions for representing the human form in paintings and relief.
face and feet in profile; shoulders and eye facing front.
Which term best describes the hall depicted in this model?
hypostyle
What do we call a series of bands or friezes that appear in relief sculptures such as the Warka Vase.
registers
