The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 29, no. 7 (March, 1971)

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ORIGIN and INFLUENCE Cultural Contacts: Egypt, the Ancient Near East, and the Classical World T here is abundant evidence of cultural contact in the art of the Near East, Egypt, and the Greek and Roman world. The exact routes by which certain types, techniques, and subjects traveled between these areas are still debated, but the interrelations are extensive, as any study of the material remains of the ancient world proves. In the fourth millennium B.C. the evidence is sparse, but in the third, second, and first millennia it becomes overwhelming. Peaceful trade movements of itinerant craftsmen and the capture in war of objects and the artisans who made them all contributed to the breaking of the boundaries between these countries - at least in the realm of art. By the middle of the first millennium A.D. a further stage is reached: to a large degree, the Near East comes to share a common language of art with the West. Cultural interconnections appear to us to result in abrupt changes in taste or style. In fact, the process was probably gradual and, while many foreign elements may have been absorbed in a country's art, its institutions, beliefs, or customs often remained relatively unaltered. The primary intention of the exhibition Origin and Influence, which will be on view through April 23, has been to trace the sources of various motifs and techniques. It has been of nearly equal interest, however, to compare the original with the imitation in order to discover something of the culture of the borrower. Additions or omissions are often a matter of deliberate choice, not accident. Some of the themes in the exhibition are illustrated and discussed on the following pages. This article was prepared by Prudence Harper, Associate Curator of Ancient Near Eastern Art; Andrew Oliver, Jr., Associate Curator of Greek and Roman Art; Nora Scott, Curator of Egyptian Art; and Christine Lilyquist, Assistant Curator of Egyptian Art The blue lotus, a plant abundant in Egypt, was used decoratively for millennia in Near Eastern art, almost more than any other floral design. On the blue faience cup from Egypt at the right, the base of the bowl is covered with the pointed petals of this flower, while the foot bears an abbreviated form having only five petals, alternating with a bud. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve, and extend access to The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin ® www.jstor.org
Much less common - and consequently more intriguing- is the occurrence of another species, the white lotus, in the art of Egypt, the Near East, Greece, and Italy. The white lotus differs in form from the blue: the petals are broader and vertically ribbed. The picture below shows three examples of this flower: at the left is an alabaster cup from Egypt that indicates the way in which it is characteristically employed, to decorate or form the body of the vessel. At the right is a fourth-century B.C. silver vase found in Egypt, possibly of Syrian origin, that shows a later development with the tips of the petals turned over. The similarly shaped bronze vessel of the first century B.C. in the center of the illustration continues the tradition. It was found in Iran but must have been made in a Roman workshop, since there is nothing in the form, technique, or style to suggest Near Eastern workmanship. The petals on this late vessel no longer overlap naturally, but are rigidly separated and placed side by side. Although this piece is an import from the West, a glass vessel with the same motif of the fourth century B.C. found at Nippur in Mesopotamia proves that the design itself was familiar to Near Eastern artisans and occasionally used by them. Opposite: Egyptian, 950-650 B.C. Faience, height 5'/2 inches. Rogers Fund, 13.182.53 Below, left: Egyptian, reign of Akhenaten (1379-1362 B.C.). Alabaster, height 57/2 inches. Gift of Edward S. Harkness, 22.9.1. Center: Found in Iran, late I century B.C. Bronze with silver inlay. Gift of H. Dunscombe Colt, 66.235. Right: From Egypt, IV century B.C. Silver. Lent by The Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 54.50.39
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 29, no. 7 (March, 1971)

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