An ancient sculpture of a female deity is called. Ancient sculptures
When exactly the oldest statue in the world, the sculpture of the Sphinx, was erected, scientists still have not determined: some believe that it grandiose building saw the world back in the thirtieth century BC. But most researchers are still more cautious in their assumptions and claim that the Sphinx is no more than fifteen thousand years old.
Today, the most sought after Buddhist sculptures are usually gold bronzes with certain time periods being particularly attractive to the market. For example, Brooke says that early Ming dynasty works from the reigns of the Yongle and Xuandu emperors, 15th-century Tibetan gilt-bronzes, Lichavi and Malla-era Nepalese sculptures, and early Qing dynasty works are now fetching high prices.
To begin to distinguish between cultures, styles, and historical periods, Brooke suggests that the collector look at as many examples of Buddhist sculpture as possible. In New York, he recommends visiting the Rubin Museum of Art, which is dedicated to the art and preservation of the cultures of the Himalayas, India and neighboring regions. Other exemplary collections include the 3rd collection of Mr. and Mrs. Rockefeller, now housed at the Asia Society in New York, the collection created by Norton Simon and housed at the Norton Simon Museum in California, and Art Museum Cleveland.
This means that already at the time of the creation of the most grandiose monument of mankind (the height of the Sphinx exceeded twenty meters and the length - more than seventy), art, in particular sculpture, was already well developed in Egypt. It turns out that in reality it is much older than the Egyptian culture, which appeared in the 4th millennium BC.
Large directories are also a necessity. The two final volumes are the Indo-Tibetan bronzes of Ulrich von Schröder and buddhist sculptures in Tibet, which are carefully organized by type. Brooke notes that these are out of print, so it may take some digging in rare bookstores - and quite a bit of cash - to get your copies.
Brooke explains that the market for Buddhist sculpture can fluctuate, with different periods or styles rising and falling in popularity. However, an approximate portion from any period of time will retain its value. What makes great quality in Buddhist sculpture is based on a number of things, including the stylistic modeling of the figure, the rarity of the subject, and the skill of the artist. “At the end of the day, people buy because they are beautiful and well made,” Brooke notes. When considering his price, he adds: Always buy the highest quality work you can afford.
Most researchers question this version and so far agree that the face of the Sphinx is the face of Pharaoh Hebren, who lived around 2575 - 2465. BC e. - which means it indicates that this grandiose structure from monolithic limestone rock was carved by the Egyptians. And he guards the pyramids of the pharaohs in Giza.
As a universal rule, you should never buy a sculpture unless you have seen it in person. "A scary piece of work can look really great in a photograph, and the reverse is also true," Brooke notes. As you begin to build up your visual memory, you will be able to spot little things that indicate that something is not quite right with the work. When forgers make replicas or copies of a sculpture, they usually do so using published references. In such links you only see the front of the sculpture - the back and bottom are usually not published.
Almost all researchers agree that the funeral cult of the inhabitants of ancient Egypt played an important role in the development of sculpture - if only because they were convinced: the human soul could well return to earth to its body, a mummy (it was for this purpose that huge tombs were created, structures in which the deceased bodies of pharaohs and nobles were supposed to be located). If the mummy could not be preserved, it could well move into its likeness - a statue (which is why the ancient Egyptians called the sculptor “creator of life”).
Forwards recreate these parts from their imaginations, which makes for strange and often bizarre design components. For example, Brooke says, the drapery of a Buddha's robe may bunch up strangely—or the bodhisattva's jewelry won't fit properly. Sometimes the back of a sculpture appears more easily completed than the front, betraying the lack of a forger by making the back look just as good as the front. For the artisan producing the original, every aspect of the work is equally important.
Brooke recommends that collectors keep a close eye on the hands, feet, jewelry and drapery. “These are the hardest things to model for anyone.” If any of them look poorly presented, it's a sign that the work is at least not of very high quality.
They created this life according to once and for all established canons, from which they did not deviate for several millennia (special instructions and guidelines were even provided and developed specifically for this purpose). Ancient masters used special templates, stencils and grids with canonically established proportions and contours of people and animals.
The artists who created the Buddhist sculptures are anonymous. However, in some cases, the sculptures are marked with inscriptions indicating that they were made during the reign of some emperor or in the life of a Tibetan lama. These works, says Brooke, are especially valuable.
The inscriptions usually provide additional insight into the lives of those who worshiped them. During this period, Brooke's writings, artisans, and theologians delved deeper and deeper into the nature of Buddhism, coming up with new ways to think about the principles of the Buddha's teachings. The resulting esoteric forms, reflected in the diversity of Buddhist deities and especially represented in Tibetan-style Buddhism, offer countless opportunities for study and appreciation.
The sculptor’s work consisted of several stages:
- Before starting to work on the statue, the master chose a suitable stone, usually rectangular in shape;
- After that, using a stencil, I applied the desired design to it;
- Then, using the carving method, I removed the excess stone, after which I processed the details, grinded and polished the sculpture.
Characteristics of Egyptian sculptures
Mostly ancient Egyptian statues depicted rulers and nobles. The figure of a working scribe was also popular (he was usually depicted with a roll of papyrus on his lap). Sculptures of gods and rulers were usually displayed for public viewing in open spaces.
An interest in Buddhist sculpture is an interest in ideology, iconography, and the consistency of certain themes over millennia - universal themes that can find an audience for everyone. As with any area of art collecting, condition is an important aspect of a piece's value. However, given the age of many Buddhist sculptures, one needs to be realistic and it is likely that many examples will undergo some form of restoration. Unfortunately, some restorations are better than others, and Brooke advises collectors to always consult with a specialist to see how much significant restoration work can change the value of a work.
The statue of the Sphinx was especially popular - despite the fact that structures of the same size as in Giza had never been made anywhere else, there were many smaller duplicates of it. Alleys with its copies and other mystical beasts could be seen in almost all the temples of ancient Egypt.
Considering that the Egyptians considered the pharaoh to be the incarnation of god on earth, the sculptors emphasized the greatness and indestructibility of their rulers with special techniques - the arrangement of figures and scenes, their sizes, poses and gestures (poses intended to convey any moment or mood were not allowed).
Different materials obviously have different level strength. Bronze and stone are the hardiest, while stucco, terracotta and varnish can be difficult to preserve. Brooke advises that those hoping to make a long-term investment should be wary of any materials that will change greatly due to environmental or natural decay.
A job with an old, well-documented provenance will always cost significantly more than a similar job with no history, says Brooke. Sometimes rich provenance helps ensure authenticity. “If the work belongs to a prestigious collection or has been published by a renowned scientist,” he adds, “then in many cases it has already gone through the vetting process.”
The ancient Egyptians depicted gods only according to strictly defined rules (for example, Horus had the head of a falcon, while the god of the dead, Anubis, had a jackal). The poses of the human statues (both sitting and standing) were quite monotonous and the same. All seated figures were characterized by the pose of Pharaoh Khafre sitting on the throne. The figure is majestic and static, the ruler looks at the world without any emotions and it is obvious to anyone who sees him that nothing can shake his power, and the character of the pharaoh is imperious and unyielding.
Like many ancient works, Buddhist sculptures are bound by international laws that sometimes prohibit their sale outside their country of origin. Cambodia has a similar agreement covering everything. The collector should review such laws and protocols to ensure that the works in his collection maintain its integrity and value.
We all know about the ancient Egyptians and the pyramids, the ancient Greeks with their temples and sculptures, or the Mayans with their prophetic calendar. There are, however, cultures that are far from useful history. These are some of the nations that do not have the historical glory that they might deserve.
If the sculpture depicting a man is standing, his left leg always takes a step forward, his arms are either lowered down, or he is leaning on the staff he is holding. After some time, another pose was added for men - the “scribe”, a man in the lotus position.
At first, only the sons of the pharaohs were depicted this way. The woman stands straight, legs are closed, right hand is lowered, left hand is on the waist. Interestingly, she does not have a neck; her head is simply connected to her shoulders. Also, the craftsmen almost never drilled out the spaces between her arms, body and legs - they usually marked them in black or white.
The Force is one of the longest reigning dynasties in world history. For a 57-year period, they ruled almost the entire Korean Peninsula, after which they were largely unexplored by archaeologists. Recently, however, the bones of a woman who died in the late 30s, near historical capital Silas.
Analysis of the bones shows that she was a vegetarian whose diet included rice, potatoes and grains. But her skull. The force was founded by the monk Buck Hokkeos. Legend has it that he launched a mysterious egg in the forest and married a queen born of dragons.
The masters usually made the bodies of the statues powerful and well-developed, giving the sculpture solemnity and grandeur. As for faces, portrait features are, of course, present here. When working on the statue, the sculptors discarded minor details and gave the faces an impassive expression.
Over time, the culture of the Force evolved into a centrally hierarchical society with a wealthy aristocratic class. Although finds of human remains of power are rare, archaeologists have discovered many luxury items created by these people: from a golden dag, through an iron Buddha, to various types of jewelry. All of them are kept in the National Museum in Gyeongju, South Korea.
They are the largest known urban culture with land extending from the Indus River in modern times in Pakistan to the Arabian Sea and Ganges in India. The Hindus, also known as the Harapanis, developed sewerage and drainage systems for their cities, built impressive walls and grain pits, and left artifacts such as pottery and glazed beads.
The coloring of ancient Egyptian statues also did not differ in particular variety:
- male figures were painted red-brown,
- women's - yellow,
- hair – black;
- clothes - white;
The Egyptians had a special relationship with the eyes of sculptures - they believed that the dead could observe earthly life through them. Therefore, masters usually inserted precious or other materials into the eyes of statues. This technique allowed them to achieve greater expressiveness and even liven them up a little.
This is said to be the cause of the transition to a more important climate and therefore the end of this civilization. Shangxingdu is a Bronze Age culture developed in what is now the Chinese province of Sichuan. Despite evidence of their talent in the arts, no one knows. They were craftsmen of exquisite bronze and gold masks, which archaeologists at the Sanyingdei Museum in China say are gods or ancestors. Evidence in another ancient city- Jinsha found nearby indicate that Saningdui moved into it.
One theory about this movement is that a major earthquake redirected water into the Mine River mine and forced the Sanshing to migrate. Miners dug up the head of a terracotta statue, testament to a rich sculptural tradition. Since then, many more complex terracotta sculptures have been discovered, including jewelry and other symbols of power known from finds associated with Ancient Egypt. Sculptures of people with various diseases, such as elephantites.
Egyptian statues (this does not mean fundamental structures, but smaller products) were not designed to be viewed from all sides - they were completely frontal, many of them seemed to lean back against a stone block, which served as a background for them.
Egyptian sculptures are characterized by complete symmetry - the right and left halves of the body are absolutely identical. Almost all the statues of ancient Egypt have a sense of geometricity - this is most likely explained by the fact that they were made from rectangular stone.
The fact that the artifacts found were removed from their context without appropriate archaeological analysis contributes to the mystery surrounding Knock. The United States has returned to Nigeria a collection of time figurines that were stolen from National Museum Nigeria and illegally brought to America.
The Etruscans are a pre-Roman culture that inhabited what is now northern Italy around 700 BC. It may have been absorbed into Ancient Rome. The Etruscan civilization was a theocracy, and religious rituals were part of everyday life. The oldest birth image in Western art was discovered in the Etruscan sanctuary of Poggio Charles. At the same time, archaeologists discovered a sand slab ranging in size from 1.2 to 0.6 meters with rare Etruscan engravings. Only a few written records survive of the language.
The evolution of Egyptian sculptures
Since creativity cannot help but respond to changes that occur in the life of society, Egyptian art did not stand still and over time changed somewhat - and began to be intended not only for funeral rites, but also for other buildings - temples, palaces, etc.
Some cultures are known only by the evidence of other cultures for them. This also applies to the mysterious land of Punt, a kingdom in Africa that developed trade with the ancient Egyptians. It is assumed that Punt inhabited the lands south of today's Sudan, on south coast Red Sea, but no one knows exactly where. The two cultures traded at least as early as the 26th century BC, during the reign of Pharaoh Kufu, who built great pyramid in Giza.
The Egyptians left detailed descriptions goods obtained from Punt - gold, ivory, myrrh, as well as sea expeditions that visited the lost kingdom. However, the Egyptians did not explain where exactly these expeditions were going. It is assumed, however, that Punt was located along the Nile, somewhere in the border region of what is now Sudan and Ethiopia.
If at first they depicted only gods (a large statue of one or another deity made of precious metals was located in the temple dedicated to him, in the altar), sphinxes, rulers and nobles, then later they began to depict ordinary Egyptians. Such figurines were mostly wooden.
Many small figurines made of wood and alabaster have survived to this day - and among them there were figurines of animals, sphinxes, slaves, and even property (many of them subsequently accompanied the dead to the other world).
Early Kingdom statues (IV millennium BC)
Sculpture during this period developed mainly in the three most major cities Egypt - She, Kyptos and Abydos: it was here that there were temples with statues of gods, sphinxes, and mystical animals that the Egyptians worshiped. Most of the sculptures were associated with the ritual of renewing the physical power of the ruler (“heb-sed”) - these are, first of all, figures of sitting or walking pharaohs carved into the wall or presented in a round sculpture.
A striking example of this type of statue is the sculpture of Pharaoh Khasekhem, sitting on a pedestal, dressed in ritual clothing. Already here you can see the main features of ancient Egyptian culture - correct proportions, in which straight lines and monumental form predominate. Despite the fact that his face has individual facial features, they are overly idealized, and his eyes have the convex eyeball traditional for all sculptures of that era.
At this time, canonicity and conciseness are established in the form of expression - secondary signs are discarded and attention is focused on the majesty in the image.
Statues of the Ancient Kingdom (XXX – XXIII centuries BC)
All statues of this period continue to be made according to previously established canons. It cannot be said that preference is given to any particular pose (this is especially true for male figures) - both full-length statues with the left leg extended forward, as well as those seated on a throne, sitting with legs crossed in the shape of a lotus, or kneeling, are popular.
At the same time, precious or semi-precious stones began to be inserted into the eyes, and raised eyeliner was applied. Moreover, the statues began to be decorated with jewelry, thanks to which they began to acquire individual features (examples of such works include sculptural portraits the architect Rahotep and his wife Nofret).
At this time, wooden sculpture was significantly improved (for example, the figure known as the “Village Headman”), and in the tombs of those times you can often see figurines that depict working people.
Statues of the Middle Kingdom (XXI–XVII centuries BC)
During the Middle Kingdom in Egypt there are great amount different schools - accordingly, the development of sculpture undergoes significant changes. They are beginning to be made not only for tombs, but also for temples. At this time, the so-called cubic statue appeared, which is a figure enclosed in a monolithic stone. Wooden statues are still popular, which the craftsmen, after carving from wood, covered with primer and painted.
Sculptors are increasingly paying attention to the individual characteristics of a person - with the help of perfectly crafted elements, in their works they show the character of a person, his age and even his mood (for example, just by looking at the head of Pharaoh Senusret III, it becomes clear that he was once a strong-willed , imperious, ironic ruler).
Statues of the New Kingdom (XVI–XIV centuries BC)
During the New Kingdom period, monumental sculpture received special development. Not only does it increasingly go beyond the boundaries of the funerary cult, but it also begins to show individual features that are not typical not only of official, but even of secular sculpture.
And secular sculpture, especially when it comes to the female figure, acquires softness, plasticity, and becomes more intimate. If earlier, according to the canons, female pharaohs were often depicted in full royal garb and even with a beard, now they get rid of these features and become elegant, graceful, and refined.
Amarna period (beginning of the 14th century BC)
At this time, sculptors began to abandon the highly idealized, sacred image of the pharaoh. For example, using the example of the huge statues of Amenhotep IV, you can see not only traditional techniques, but also an attempt to convey as accurately as possible the appearance of the pharaoh (both his face and figure).
Another innovation was the depiction of figures in profile (previously the canon did not allow this). During this period, the world-famous head of Nefertiti in a blue tiara, created by sculptors from the Thutmes workshop, also appeared.
Late Kingdom Statues (XI – 332 BC)
At this time, masters begin to adhere less and less to the canons, and they gradually fade away and become conditionally idealized. Instead, They began to improve their technical skills, especially in the decorative part (for example, one of the best sculptures of that time is the head of the statue of Mentuemhet, made in a realistic style).
When Sais was in power, the masters again returned to monumentality, staticity and canonical poses, but they interpreted this in their own way and their statues became more stylized.
After in 332 BC. Alexander the Great conquered Egypt, this country lost its independence, and cultural heritage ancient Egypt finally and irrevocably merged with ancient culture.
The bestial grin of the Paleolithic
Archaeologists have done ancient statue oldest
Photo Stadt Ulm Ulmer Museum
The Lion Man, a thirty-centimeter figurine made of mammoth bone, found on the eve of World War II in southern Germany, was sculpted 40 thousand years ago. New dating has made an unprecedented work of art, stored in German city Ulm, for 8 thousand years. It took scientists more than 70 years to literally piece together this amazing figurine. The latest calculations show that the Paleolithic artist spent at least 400 hours on the Lion Man - about two months of work during daylight hours.
The message about the new dating of the lion man appeared on the eve of the opening of a large exhibition on Paleolithic art at the British Museum. The Ulm sculpture was to adorn the exhibition along with such works of ancient art as the Trans-Raisian bison and the Vestonitsa Venus. However, the restorers did not consider it possible to transport the lion man to London: he is too fragile. A copy of the priceless sculpture has been sent to the UK.
The Lion Man was found in southern Germany, in an area known as the Swabian Jura or Swabian Alb. In the low chalk mountains there there are several caves, four of which - Vogelherd, Stadel, Geissenklosterle and Hole Fels - became famous due to the oldest images of animals and birds, the first musical instruments (flutes) and the first images of humans discovered in them. Most of the finds now date back 35,000 to 40,000 years, including the Venus of Hohle Fels (an anthropomorphic figure with raised arms) and a intact mammoth figurine. The time of making flutes has been pushed back even further - to 42-43 thousand years. Paul Mellars, one of the leading modern researchers of the Paleolithic of Europe, commenting several years ago on the discovery of the Venus of Hole Fels, said that the southern German caves should rightfully be considered the birthplace of European sculpture.
The honor of discovering the lion man belongs to the German archaeologist Robert Wetzel, who explored the Stadel cave. Wetzel had been conducting systematic excavations in the cave since 1937; before him, dozens, if not hundreds of enthusiasts had been there, looking for traces of the presence of primitive people in it, because even in the middle of the 19th century, bones of cave animals and stone tools were found there. Wetzel, an employee of the Ulm Museum, discovered fragments of a bone figurine a few days before the outbreak of World War II - on August 25, 1939. The fragments were removed from the ground, packed in a box and sent to the University of Tübingen, where they waited in the wings for thirty years. Wetzel's excavation was filled up and securely covered. The professor returned to study the cave in 1954 and worked in it every season until his death in 1961. But he didn’t remember the bone figurine.
In 1969, during an inventory of the storage rooms of the Ulm Museum, a box containing fragments of the lion man was finally discovered. The fragments were taken out, a “draft” figurine was assembled from two hundred fragments (two hundred fragments made up approximately 70 percent of the volume), radiocarbon dated and a sensational age was obtained: 32 thousand years. Until then, the oldest sculpture was considered to be the above-mentioned Vestonice Venus (25-29 thousand years old), found in Moravia.
The first researcher of the lion man was the outstanding archaeologist from the University of Tübingen, Joachim Hahn, a specialist in the Upper Paleolithic and an expert in the primitive art of Europe. Thanks to Khan's reconstruction, it became clear that the figurine has both anthropomorphic and zoomorphic features, and the animal component came from a large cat. Khan was unable to find virtually any fragments of the head, and his reconstruction of the figurine included male genitalia.
Khan's younger colleague Elisabeth Schmid took up the Lion Man in the early 1980s. By this time, during new excavations, several hundred more fragments of the sculpture had been discovered, and Schmid was able to significantly complement the appearance of the man-beast - in particular, its lion's muzzle became clearly visible. It is worth noting that before completing the appearance of the lion man, Schmid took the figurine apart, removing the glue that Khan used, and reassembled it. Schmid came to the conclusion that the man-cat creature was not a man, but a woman, and the lion man temporarily turned into a lioness man, becoming the banner of supporters of the matriarchal model of Upper Paleolithic society.
By 2000, passions over the gender of the sculpture had fortunately subsided. And in 2009, another archaeologist from the University of Tübingen, Claus-Joachim Kind, went to the Stadel cave to complete the search for fragments. Kind found several important fragments of the back and neck, the right arm and paw, and hundreds of small fragments, so that by the end of 2012 the “three-dimensional puzzle” was completed. Alas, many elements of the “puzzle” are lost forever: in particular, it is not clear what exactly the hands and feet of the lion man looked like, whether he had a tail, and so on.
Researchers have countless questions for the lion man. Who is this creature - a deity or a guide from one world to another? We don’t know anything about the ideas of the creators of the figurine about the world - we only assume, using analogies with the primitive societies known to us, where the most important role is played by shamans, guides from the world of the living to the worlds of animals and the dead. Or maybe everything is simpler, and the lion man is the ideal male? (Every joke has a grain of humor in it.) Why was it sculpted - to be worshiped or carried with you as an amulet? And these are only the most obvious assumptions - from our point of view, infinitely removed from the worldview of the inhabitants of the Stadel cave.
What do the notches on the left shoulder of the figurine mean? Is there some connection between the lion man and the anthropomorphic figure from Geissenklosterle, who also has marks on his arms? Let us remind you that Geissenklosterle is one of the four most famous caves in the Swabian Alb, along with Stadel. Excavations there were carried out by Joachim Hahn, already known to us, and he found a plate on which a relief human (or bestial-human) figure with raised arms is depicted. Chronologically, she is a contemporary of the Leo Man. Some interpreters call her an “adorant,” that is, one who worships a deity, a higher power; It is believed that the record depicts a shamanic dance.
Why is the lion man large - almost 30 centimeters, while most other bone figurines do not exceed seven centimeters in height? The “adorant” is less than four centimeters high, the height of “Venus from Hole Fels” is six centimeters.
More general questions also arise: what led 40-45 thousand years ago to such an explosion of plastic art, not only in the Swabian Alb, but also in other regions of Europe - in the territory of modern France, Spain and Italy? Is the emergence of art connected with the development of language or with the influx of new populations?
Whether it is possible in principle to find answers to these questions is a separate problem. But we can be glad that at least something tangible has survived from those distant times. Wild but cute.