PICTURING THE STORY: NARRATIVE ARTS AND THE STORIES THEY TELL
This relief fragment once decorated the tomb of an Egyptian nobleman named Maya.
Inscriptions carved into the walls of an ancient Egyptian’s tomb were intended to describe and record the life and deeds of the tomb’s owner. These inscriptions often sound as if they are being spoken by a still-living person!
Maya's story, "in his own words." "Since my youth I have been favored by the gods; they have watched over and cared for me. I was born of noble blood, and as a child I lived and grew up in the royal palace. There I studied for years to be a scribe, learning the secrets of the sacred hieroglyphic writing that only the gods and the priests of their temples are allowed to read."
"I was a nobleman, awarded the title of Count, and appointed Royal Sealbearer to the king. My other titles prove my close relationship to the king: Sole Companion, and Fanbearer on the Right of the King. His Majesty appointed me to lead the great Festival in honor of the god Amun, one of the most important festivals of the year. I served in the royal court as a trusted scribe and Chief Treasurer to the king, in charge of the welfare of all of Egypt."
"I was sent throughout the whole land of Egypt by His Majesty King Tutankhamun, to carry out the king’s wishes and plans for restoring the temples of the gods. I traveled throughout the land of Egypt to raise taxes, making the temples splendid again with new statues made from precious gold and silver. The king trusted me to honor the gods in his name with offerings and rituals."
"I reached the end of my life in happiness, having earned the king’s favor countless times. As my father’s eldest son, I honored him by succeeding in all that I did, living in prosperity and health, and deserving of a perfect burial in Memphis, the great city of the King."
"I say to you, the living, who come and walk about in the district of Egyptian, 18th Dynasty (1550–1295 BCE) eternity, west of the great Nile: see my tomb, read my words, and rejoice Standing Figure of the Finance Minister that you stand here. By reading my name upon my monument, you ensure Maya, ca. 1330 BCE that my name and the greatness of my deeds live on." Limestone, 33 9/16 x 11 in.
R.T. Miller Fund, 42.55
PICTURING THE STORY: NARRATIVE ARTS AND THE STORIES THEY TELL
"I was one who in the beginning was well and be generous in offerings for Maya, who speaks the truth from the good; in the end, I was brilliant. Think blessed afterlife."
READING THE ART The smaller hieroglyphic writing directly above and This carved fragment depicts Maya as a youthful-looking around Maya's head represents his spoken words to his man wearing a shoulder-length braided wig, beaded wife: necklace and a long pleated kilt. Maya's pose, with face, “He praises you [Lady Meryt], Ptah, master of truth. He legs and feet in profile but eye and torso shown frontally, gives you the lovely breeze of the north wind in the follows the standard Egyptian method for depicting the necropolis. The Praised of Osiris, on the point of the west, human body. Each part appears from its most recognizable Meryt, deceased, mistress of reverence." angle, yet all parts unite in elegant, balanced proportions. CONNECTING THE CULTURE Maya’s complete panel The ancient Egyptians' belief in the afterlife resulted in once decorated a wall sometimes elaborate tombs, decorated and furnished for section in his funerary the spirit of the dead. The discovery of Maya's tomb, with temple. Maya was able to its relief carvings and inscriptions, tell us a great deal afford a large, impressive about Maya and family, his royal connections, and his tomb for himself and his accomplishments. wife, Meryt. In this scene, Meryt wears a very thin, The ancient site of Saqqara (sah-KAR-ah) is located on long dress, a long wig, and the western side of the Nile River, just south of Giza, site a headdress that includes a of the Great Pyramids. It served as an important cemetery cone of scented wax. for the city of Memphis, and features tombs and monuments from nearly every period in Egyptian history. In most of his tomb images, Maya wears a FOUND, LOST, AND FOUND AGAIN! double-strand shebyu Maya's tomb was first discovered and excavated in 1843 necklace made of large, by an archaeologist named Richard Lepsius. Lepsius made disk-shaped gold beads. It drawings of the tomb sculptures, recording their original served as a reward from appearance. Over time the tomb became covered over by the pharaoh for valor or sand and its location was lost. distinguished services. By choosing to have himself In 1975, archaeologists began to search again for Maya's depicted wearing this tomb. They searched for 11 years before rediscovering the necklace, Maya shows his tomb in 1986! position in society, and his high regard at the royal court of three different pharaohs, or kings.
PICTURING THE STORY: NARRATIVE ARTS AND THE STORIES THEY TELL
MATERIALS AND METHODS Stone was the material of choice for temples and tombs, as well as statues. The hardness and durability of stone symbolized permanence and eternity in the minds of the ancient Egyptians.
Relief carvings for the decoration of a tomb began with a designer determining the general layout and drawing the outlines of the figures on the wall surface. Then groups of sculptors, known as kesty, used chisels to shallow-carve the figures. Finally, painters colored the reliefs, applying a thin layer of gypsum plaster or gesso (chalk and glue), and then various colors, which often do not survive.