50:082:101:92 Art History I

Matthew Kemery
Midterm Paper

Art Pieces

Mesopotamian
Sumerian Limestone bearded Orant Figure
Iraq circa 2600 BC
3.2 inches in Limestone
Diyala Region

Egypt
Wall painting of Nefertari
The Early Dynastic Period of Ancient Egypt
Wall Painting
Clay-straw and gypsum-based plasters
naturalistic painting techniques

Mycenae

Mask of Agamemnon
Made in Gold found on a body in a
burial shaft
1550-1500 BC. Greece

The first image I posted above is a statue of the

Sumerian limestone bearded Orant figure. The statue is very
symbolic to the goddess of abundance during that period of
time. Depicted during that time was often called praying
sculptures as seen above. This sculpture represents the
significance within the Mesopotamian religion. A lot of these
praying sculptures were placed near Asmar within the
Diyala Region of Mesopotamia. In my opinion this really
shows the towns receptiveness toward the rulers and shows
great loyalty.

The second image posted above is a painting of the

famous Queen Nefertari during the time of Ramesses. When
she passed away the town had decided to build a temple for
her. Throughout the temple included various paintings and
signs of remembrance. This painting was found in her tomb
wall. One of the ways you are able to tell that this is a royal
painting is by seeing the cartouche. The cartouche is used to
contain the royal name and show her importance. During the

ancient times you are also able to tell that she was a
ruler/goddess is by seeing the jewelry or headwear on her in
the painting. This is often portrayed on important individuals
during ancient periods to show their power.

The third image listed above is a golden mask found at

the burial site on what the researched believed to be
Agamemnon. Agamemnon was the great leader of the Greek
attack on Troy. Within that burial site were other adults and
children. What you are able to discover by the mask is the
sign of status or value that this person contributed to his
time period. This golden mask was 1 of 5 found at the site
but this mask was the most decorated which would also
portray that this person may have been well respected and a
true status of wealth (ruler/goddess).

When you look at the three images above they all have
common interest. One of the ways all these images are
related is that they all depict a very important time in our
history. Whether its the remembrance of the ruler during the

battle of Troy or the remembrance of the Queen Nefertari,

every image has a special representation of a very important
place within our history. Not only do they all contribute vas
amounts towards our history but they all are also very well
respected during those time periods and even still today. All
of these rulers/ goddess were significant enough for even
after their death their followers from the town built temples,
burial sites, and even created sculptures/paintings of them.
All of these rulers/goddess played a very important role
within our history.

When you look at differences within the images listed

above, you can see a few. One of the main differences you
can determine is the type of materials used to create these
art pieces. While some are sculptures others are paintings
and even the mask if made from gold. I believe that a major
contribution to the different materials used during that time
have to do with the time period itself. A good question would
be, what if the battle of troy happened during the same time
period that the sculpture of Sumerian Limestone bearded

Orant was created would they have portrayed the ruler

Agamemnon the same way? The time periods and also
cultures played a huge role in the differences between the
current art pieces.

Based on the art pieces above I do believe that one of

the art pieces portrays the ruler of more status than the
others. The mask of Agamemnon does in my opinion show
more of a status than the other art pieces. When you look at
materials and also cost of material it tends to show the
importance. Gold is one of the most expensive materials
even today. When you see that the followers during that time
actually made a mask full of gold and also included a whole
burial site for the ruler and his others within the site it really
shows tons. The portrayal of power and dominance with the
making of a golden mask is huge. The other art pieces
defiantly show an important value towards the
rulers/goddess but you cannot go any higher of showing
loyalty, power and also significance than gold.

Works Cited
"An Exhibition of Ancient Mesopotamian Art." CALIFORNIA MUSEUM OF
ANCIENT ART. Web. 7 Oct.2015.
RICKERBY, STEPHEN. "Original Painting Techniques and Materials Used
in the Tomb of Nefertari." Web. 7 Oct. 2015.
"Mask of Agamemnon." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 7 Oct.
2015.