Fit for the Job: Proportion and the Portrayal of Cattle in Egyptian Old and Middle Kingdom Elite Tomb Imagery

Nicolle Leary

doi:10.3390/arts10010013

Abstract

Depictions of the natural world are an intrinsic feature of Egyptian visual culture, with the vast array of imagery documenting animals a testimony to the fundamental role they played. Despite the significance of animals in Egypt, an anthropocentric bias still exists in research on the methods used by practitioners during initial scene composition. To help bridge the divide, the author herein undertook an investigation to determine if proportional guides were in place when rendering animal figures in ancient Egyptian elite tomb imagery of the Old and Middle Kingdoms. A notable outcome of the proportional analysis was the identification of two distinct body-types for domestic cattle (Bos taurus taurus). The aim of the current paper is to further examine these proportional differences to explore if variations in physique (namely the distance between the chest floor and withers) were rendered by Egyptian practitioners to reflect the conditions in which they appeared by considering two overarching factors: (1) biological factors and (2) contextual factors. As such, the study will employ proportional analysis to challenge the prevailing perspective of a deregulated approach when illustrating fauna in elite tomb imagery, highlighting the significance of animals within ancient Egypt.

Highlights

IntroductionAcademic Editor: Branko F. van Oppen de Ruiter
The cattle corpus used for the current paper has been taken from the author’s prior study on the existence of proportional guides for animals in Old and Middle Kingdom elite tomb imagery, with a total of 150 figures examined from 13 cemeteries
Through the use of proportional analysis, the study has revealed that variations in the physiques of cattle as rendered by ancient Egyptian practitioners in elite tomb imagery do often reflect the conditions in which they appear

Summary

Introduction

Academic Editor: Branko F. van Oppen de Ruiter. Throughout ancient Egyptian history, elite members of society carved and painted the walls of their tombs with detailed scenes of the living and divine worlds. Elite tombs, conceptualised as a “house for eternity”, were charged with a number of vital functions Aside from providing protection for the body, tombs served as a ritual complex to ensure the regeneration and eternal well-being of the owner, and were a space where the identity of the deceased could be projected into the hereafter and commemorated by the living. Text and imagery were organised to complement these functions and aid the transition from life to afterlife, with the owner portraying themselves as they desired through a chosen selection of culturally accepted scenes and accompanying inscriptions Text and imagery were organised to complement these functions and aid the transition from life to afterlife, with the owner portraying themselves as they desired through a chosen selection of culturally accepted scenes and accompanying inscriptions (Assmann 2002, p. 70; Hartwig 2004, pp. 1–5; Verma 2014, pp. 37, 112; Woods and Leary 2017, p. 77)

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