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Everyday Beauty

We can learn about ancient Egyptians through the objects they left behind

March 2014

Stela of Intef and Senettekh, ca. 2065-2000 b.c. Limestone, 137/8x115/8 in. (35.3x29.6cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 54.66.

Who is the most important figure in this scene? How can you tell?

Can you guess how each of the objects on this page was used in ancient Egypt? Simple items, such as a cup, can tell us a lot about the way ancient Egyptians lived and what was most important to them.

Dinner Is Served

Images in many Egyptian carvings, like the one above, depict everyday scenes. About 4,000 years ago, a man had this small tablet made to honor his parents. An artist carved away a flat layer of stone from the background, so the figures in this relief sculpture are raised. A man and woman sit at dinner while their dog waits for scraps to fall and a servant stands nearby.

Carved in hieratic (hy-er-at-ick) scale, each figure’s size shows his or her importance. As head of the family, the father is largest. The artist incised, or carved, written symbols, called hieroglyphs (hy-ro-glifs), representing the couple’s names above their heads.

Decorated Details

Lotiform Cup, ca. 945-715 b.c. Egyptian faience, H. 53/4 in. (14.6 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Purchase, Edward S. Harkness Gift, 1926 (26.7.971). Photo: Schecter Lee. Image: ©The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Image source: Art Resource, NY.

How does the color of this vessel echo the theme of the scenes depicted?

Utilitarian objects, like the large cup at right, give us insights into ancient Egyptian beliefs. The vessel is shaped like a lotus, a flower similar to a water lily and a symbol of creation and rebirth. The relief images show the Nile River’s importance in Egyptian life. Men, animals, and birds ride in a small boat along the banks of the Nile, while fish swim below. The goblet is made of a ceramic, called faience (fay-ahns) that, when glazed, becomes blue-green. This brilliant color echoes the water theme shown in its shape and surface decoration.

Ancient Egyptian ibex-shaped spoon, New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, Louvre, Paris/De Agostini Picture Library/G. Dagli Orti/The Bridgeman Art Library.

Why is this animal’s side concave?

The spoon, at right, is another example of what was most important. Also faience, it is shaped like an ibex, a type of wild goat, which was a major source of food. The large concave oval carved into the animal’s side was probably used to hold powdered makeup. Negative spaces define the animal’s head on the intricate handle.

Necklace with pectoral in form of the vulture goddess Nekhbet. Turquoise. From the Tomb of Tutankhamen. Egypt, 18th Dynasty. Photo: Ayman Khoury. Egyptian Museum, Cairo. ©CULTNAT, Dist. RMN-GP/Art Resource, NY.

What does this necklace symbolize?

Accessories Fit for a King

The lavish jewelry Egyptians wore was symbolic as well as decorative. The large necklace above, called a pectoral, was among the treasures found in King Tut’s tomb. Made of solid gold inlaid with deep blue and red semiprecious stones, the necklace takes the imposing symmetrical form of the vulture-goddess, Nekhbet (neck-bet). Patron goddess of the pharaohs, Nekhbet spreads her wings to protect the king. In its talons, the vulture holds orbs that symbolize life and infinity. Why do you think a pharaoh would want to wear jewelry symbolizing life and infinity?

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