This gallery is a collection of ancient Egyptian art that depicts how ancient Egyptians saw certain animals. Animals represented many different things such as gods, strengths, or a particular energy. When the ancient Egyptians created sculptures or paintings that had animals, is usually was a representation of a god or god-like person. The use of particular textures and materials is what was the driving force behind how and why these sculptures were created.
Bronze Statuette of a Cat, 7th and 6th centuries B.C., From the collection of: Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest
This is a sculpture made of bronze, gold, and rock crystal. It stands 15cm tall. The first thing to stand out about his sculpture is the space. There is a definite presence to the piece with the pose of the cat that shows strength and pride. The texture of the sculpture also stands out because of the smooth look that adds grace to the cat. This represents calmness, and serenity that is part of the reason the art was created. Ancient Egyptians created smooth sculptures of animals to represent how someone or something portrayed themselves.
Hollow Core Vessel in Form of Fish, Unknown, ca. 1390-1292 B.C.E., From the collection of: Brooklyn Museum
This is a sculpture made of glass that is 4 3/16 inches long. The texture of the sculpture is very smooth and has several different colors of glass mixed in it that gives it its color. The shape is a clear fish but is also hollow and could be used to hold water. Fish to the Ancient Egyptians were a source of food and other valuable materials. This art was created for uses of holing liquids but the design was fun and playful.
Camel with rider, Unknown, 0001/0200, From the collection of: Rijksmuseum van Oudheden
This sculpture is made terracotta and is 15.8 x h19cm. It shows a man with bags riding a camel. The detail in the textures that were added around the man gives depth to the piece. The hair on the camel is detailed with lines to show the texture of the camel’s hair. Ancient Egyptians used camels the way we use cars. The camel was a symbol of status depending how many someone had.
Bronze figure of Apis, the sacred bull, -400/-300, From the collection of: British Museum
This sculpture is made of bronze and silver. It is 16cm long, 20.5cm tall, and is 6.13cm high. The bull is a sacred figure to the ancient Egyptians thus why it was made with lavish materials. There are lines carved on the bull that added texture to the bull’s smooth surface and also had religious background. The space that is used in the sculptures shows us the strong stance of the animal.
Bronze statuette group of the king before the Apis bull, From the collection of: British Museum
This is a bronze sculpture of someone worshiping the Apis bull. The space shows us the distance between the bull and the clear shape of the bull tells us that he has a strong stance. This art is a representation of how ancient Egyptian worshiped certain animals. Many sculptures depict different people bowing or kneeling before an animal.
Egyptian clay model of cattle, -3500/-3500, From the collection of: British Museum
This piece of art is made from fired clay and it is a herd of cattle. The space portrayed in the art between the cows shows us how close the herd would travel to each other. This art is depicts a warning of how the animals move, in order to properly hunt them.
Funerary model of cow giving birth, unknown, c. 2000 BC, From the collection of: Royal Ontario Museum
This is a painted wood sculpture of a cow giving birth. There are two women aiding the cow with the delivery. This art is a demonstration model of how to help a cow give birth. It may have been used as a way to help teach younger people the process. The space is used very well because it provides depth to the sculpture as well as proper proportions.
Statuette of a Hippopotamus, Unknown, 2500 BC - 1950 BC, From the collection of: Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien
This sculpture is made of faience blue glaze. It is a fat hippopotamus that is brightly colored and has other shapes and figures drawn on it. Ancient Egyptians would give gifts of a hippo sculptures because they were believed to bring peace to those in the afterlife. The bright colors signify happiness and calm and the space used shows great proportions.
Head of a figure of the cow of Hathor, -1450/-1450, From the collection of: British Museum
This sculpture is made of rock crystals, calcite and lapis lazuli. This is the head of a goddess and is a representation of how ancient Egyptians honored gods and goddesses. The texture in the head is a contrast between smooth and rough surfaces that is a good representation of a life-like feel to the cow.
Coffin for a mummified cat, From the collection of: British Museum
This is a coffin that was made for a cat out of wood and bone. The lines on the coffin are all symmetrical and the color between the head and the body gives the illusion of different textures. Ancient Egyptians often saw cats as godly creatures and at times, when a cat dies, it was also mummified and placed into coffins.
Credits: All media
This user gallery has been created by an independent third party and may not represent the views of the institutions whose collections include the featured works or of Google Arts & Culture.
