ANCIENT
EGYPT
The History, People and Culture of the Nile Valley
The History, People and Culture of the Nile Valley |
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Ancient Egypt Magazine Volume Three Issue Three -- November/December 2002 ‘Beautés d’Egypte’ flourish in Belgium
This is a good time to visit Belgium for two exhibitions
with ancient Egyptian themes. The Belgian version of Pharaoh's Artists (see AE
July/August 2002) has just opened in Brussels, while at the Museum of Malgré-Tout
in Treignes, southern Belgium, located in the picturesque Meuse valley close to
the French border, you will find a beautiful and thought- provoking exhibition
of Egyptian art and archaeology writes Cathie Bryan. All
photography by Pierre Cattelain, © CEDARC/ Musée de Malgré-Tout, except as
indicated. The subtitle of the exhibition, ‘Celles que les ans ne peuvent
moissonner’, is a quotation from the play by Molière, Les Femmes Savants.
(‘Those which the years cannot cut down.’) This sets the stage for the theme
of the exhibition: aspects of ancient Egyptian beauty as perceived by the
Egyptians and as we may appreciate such beauty today. The idea and production of
the exhibition were by curator Eugène Warmenbol of the Université Libre de
Bruxelles, who selected the objects, and the Centre d’Etudes et de
Documentation Archéologiques (CEDARC).
Conservators Claire Bellier and Pierre Cattelain were the co-curators of
the exhibition, and M. Cattelain was the principal photographer for the
catalogue. The 144 objects, mostly from the New Kingdom through the Late Period,
are on loan from numerous European museums and private collections. Some have
never before been displayed. As Dr. Warmenbol explains, the objects are meant to
appeal to Egyptologists, art historians and amateurs alike. We are drawn into the exhibition by a display which invites us to
consider the eternal yet modern appeal of Egyptian art. The classical Egyptian
standards of proportion are presented, including the role of Thoth as the god of
wisdom, recording and measurement. The artistic standards of the Amarna period,
with some examples, are contrasted with the classical standards. Seated Cat. Terracotta with green glaze. Late Period. Private Collection. The cat was sacred to the goddess Bastet. The exhibition also features a statuette of Bastet, anthropomorphic with a cat head, from the Late Period. The exhibition explores several different aspects of beauty: the divine,
the masculine, the feminine, the ugly, and the theriomorphic. The prime examples
of masculine and feminine beauty are, respectively, the king and the queen.
Deformity was sometimes perceived by the Egyptians as divine ugliness,
paradoxically beautiful. There is also the strange and exotic beauty of
foreigners. Complementary themes deal with the erotic facet of beauty, personal
adornments and mutilations to enhance beauty, and the toilette and accessories
of grooming, cosmetics and perfume. Beauty related to death and rebirth,
including tomb accessories, beautiful and magical adornment of the mummy,
ushabtis (including those of Raia from the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden),
‘concubine’ figures, all contribute to the analysis of Egyptian concepts of
beauty. Throughout the exhibition the visitor cannot help but marvel at the
Egyptian technology that was employed in the creation of these objects. A visit
to the exhibition is highly recommended for a full appreciation of the subject.
As an alternative, we have included here some photographs of a selection of
objects representing the principal themes, together with captions that have been
drawn from the excellent descriptions and essays contained in the catalogue. Back to Ancient Egypt Magazine - Volume Three Issue Three contents
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