A Companion to Ancient Egyptian Art

How did ancient Egyptians define “art”—and how did the myriad artistic works they produced mirror their worldview? A Companion to Ancient Egyptian Art presents a comprehensive collection of original essays exploring key concepts, critical discourses, and theories that shape the discipline of ancient Egyptian art. Themes and topics include methodological approaches, transmission of Egyptian art and its connections with other cultures, ancient reception, technology and interpretation, and current debates surrounding field and museum conservation. In addition to providing overviews of past and present scholarship on a broad range of topics relating to art in ancient Egypt, readings pave the way for new avenues of exploration that are certain to stimulate ongoing and future debate. With its unprecedented breadth of coverage and impeccable scholarship, A Companion to Ancient Egyptian Art is an indispensible reference resource for the field of ancient Egyptian art history.

List of Illustrations Notes on Contributors Foreword David O′Connor Preface Melinda K. Hartwig Acknowledgments Melinda K. Hartwig List of Abbreviations Chronology Maps I. Introduction Chapter 1. Definition: What is Art? John Baines Part I: Methodological Approaches Chapter 2. Historiography of ancient Egyptian art Diane Bergman Chapter 3. Style Melinda K. Hartwig Chapter 4. Connoisseurship Jack Josephson Chapter 5. Iconography and Symbolism Maya Müller Chapter 6. Semiotics & Hermeneutics Valérie Angenot Chapter 7. Gender and Sexuality Gay Robins Chapter 8. Reception and Perception Alexandra Verbovsek Chapter 9. Representing the Other: Non–Egyptians in Pharaonic Iconography Ann Macy Roth Chapter 10. Interpreting Ancient Egyptian Material Culture Salima Ikram Part II: Materials and Mediums Chapter 11. Sculpture Melinda K. Hartwig Chapter 12. Relief Alexandra Woods Chapter 13. Painting Francesco Tiradritti Chapter 14. Coffins, Cartonnage and Sarcophagi Kathlyn M. Cooney Chapter 15. Luxury Arts Arielle P. Kozloff Part III: Concepts in Art Chapter 16. Ideology and Propaganda Ronald J. Leprohon Chapter 17. Religion and Ritual Emily Teeter Chapter 18. Narrative Nadja S. Braun Chapter 19. The Ordering of the Figure William H. Peck Chapter 20. Portraiture Betsy M. Bryan Part IV: Interconnections with the Larger World Chapter 21. Egyptian Connections with the Larger World: Greece and Rome Barbara Mendoza Chapter 22. Egyptian Connections with the Larger World: Ancient Near East Mehmet–Ali Ataç Chapter 23. The Art and Architecture of Kushite Nubia Peter Lacovara Part V: Reception of Ancient Egyptian Art in the Modern World Chapter 24. Egyptomania: fascination for Egypt and its expression in the modern world Jean–Marcel Humbert Part VI: Technology and Interpretation Chapter 25. Interpretation Nigel Strudwick Chapter 26. Technology Richard Newman Chapter 27. Conservation of Egyptian Objects: a Review of Current Practices in the Field and in Museum Settings Susanne Gänsicke Bibliography Index

Melinda Hartwig is an Associate Professor of Ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern Art and Archaeology at Georgia State University. She is the author of Tomb Painting and Identity in Ancient Thebes, 1419–1372 BCE (2004).