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The Middle Kingdom
After a period of disruption and breakdown of strong central government, and the growth of the power of provincial rulers during the First Intermediate Period (about 2134-2140 B.C.), the country was reunited by princes of Thebes in southern Egypt. They established themselves as kings of a new dynasty, maintained the loyalty of regional rulers, and began the expansion of Egyptian interests in Africa and Asia. In the art of the Middle Kingdom, ideal images of royalty changed and statues of kings took on a look of careworn responsibility. Other artistic changes reflected a concern for simpler ways to provide for the needs of the spirit. Wooden models often replaced elaborate paintings and carvings on the tomb walls. Offering lists and depictions of objects were painted directly on the inside of the coffin instead of covering the walls of the tomb. In contrast to the idealized perfection of Old Kingdom royal portraits seen earlier in the exhibition, the images of Middle Kingdom rulers such as Amenemhet III and Senwesret III have expressions of care, worry, and perhaps even fatigue. This fragment is all that remains of a great sculptural masterpiece. The carefully modeling of the head, the deep set, heavy-lidded, eyes and even the slight trace of wrinkles on the badly preserved cheeks all express human, rather than godlike, qualities. |
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