Through the Eras

Visual ArtsRelief of Akhety-hotep. BROOKLYN MUSEUM OF ART, 57.178,CHARLES EDWIN WILBOUR FUND. REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION.The three statues also represent the emergence of a secondstyle in addition to the idea of the youthful and idealizedstanding male figure. The three statues seem toportray Metjetji at different stages of his life. The statueof Metjetji holding a walking staff is most like other conventionalimages in style. It resembles, for example, thestanding statue of Ity-sen in basic conception. The statuedepicting Metjetji in the most conventional pose withboth arms at his sides also begins to exhibit characteristicsof the second style. The figure is much less robust looking.His arms, torso, and legs are elongated. His body isslimmer and less muscular. The facial features are moreexaggerated and less idealized than in the more conventionalstyle of Egyptian art. Finally, the statue with theopen palm pose is very much more elongated and expressivein its facial features. Some scholars have consideredit an individualized portrait. The face, arms, torso, andlegs are even more attenuated and slender than in theprevious example. From the Sixth Dynasty until the endof ancient Egyptian history, artists used the idealized,traditional style alongside the attenuated second style inA wooden statue of the dignitary Ka-aper. His corpulence wasa sign of wealth in the Old Kingdom. © ROGER WOOD/CORBIS.REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION.certain period. Many scholars have suggested that themotivation behind the development of this second stylewas religious. Yet the details of how and why it developedhave not been explained.Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt (2675 B.C.E.–332 B.C.E.) 287