Through the Eras

A head of a king is one of the first colossalstatues known from ancient Egypt.2675–2654 Egyptian artists produce the earliestknown life-size image of a king, KingDjoser seated on a throne.IMPORTANT EVENTSin Visual ArtsAll dates in this chronology are approximations (c.) andoccur before the common era (B.C.E.).3800–3500 Earliest fired pottery is decorated with ared body and a black rim.3500–3300 Egyptian artists draw and model fromclay and carve the earliest Egyptian humanfigures.3300–3100 Artists carve first animals in relief in ivory.3200–3100 Narmer Palette is the first Egyptian reliefthat follows the classic Egyptian style. Itrepresents a stylistic break with pre-historicEgyptian art.3100–2675 Egyptian artists formulate the basic strategiesfor their works of art that remain inuse for nearly 3,000 years.The Stela of Wadj is an example of oneof the first uses of combined perspectiveto represent a building from both the topview and the front view.2800–2675 The statues of King Khasekhemwy representone of the first attempts to portray aseated king, a common subject for laterEgyptian artists.2675–2170 Old Kingdom artists use guidelines to composetwo-dimensional scenes. This systemis the source of the grid that will be usedin the Middle Kingdom.2675–2625 Egyptian artists produce one of the firstimages of a standing male figure, probablya deity.The statue of Ankhwa is one of the firstfigures of a seated official.2625–2585 A statue of Rahotep, the son of KingSneferu, and his wife, Nofret, is amongthe first seated pair statues, a typicalEgyptian pose.2555–2532 A series of diorite statues of King Khafrerepresent a high point in sculptural production.2532–2510 A standing statue of King Menkaure andQueen Kha-merer-nebu II is among theearliest standing statues of a male andfemale figure.2350–2170 A second style in Egyptian art emergesthat emphasizes expressiveness and portraysthe human figure as more elongatedand thinner than previously.2338–2298 A seated statue of Pepi I represents theclear use of a statue as a hieroglyph.A statue of Pepi I kneeling is an earlyexample of a royal pose that shows theking making an offering to a god.2288–2194 A statue of Queen Ankh-nes-meryre IIand her son King Pepi II reveals innovativeuse of Egyptian traditions.2081–2003 Artists compose scenes with eighteensquaregrids, a system that allows themto enlarge figures and still control proportions.Evidence for regional styles around Thebesand Memphis shows that Egyptian artistshad some freedom to develop local waysof making art.2008–1957 A seated statue of King Nebhepetre Mentuhotepis among the earliest images ofthe distinctive Theban style.1957–1945 Artists of the reign of Mentuhotep IIIstrive to combine Theban and Memphisstyle.264 Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt (2675 B.C.E.–332 B.C.E.)