Egyptian sculpture

OLD KINGDOM 75

for only the beauty of the draughtsmanship can be seen, not the colour. The background was covered with a pale-grey wash; the Egyptian artist realised that to obtain the best effect for his brilliant colours they must be laid on a neutral tint. As a piece of decoration, both in composition and colour, this frieze is unrivalled in Egyptian art.

The figure of the offering-bearer is from the painted tomb-chapel of an official named Ptah-shepses, at Saqqara (Pl. XV. 1). The date is of the late Vth or early VIth dynasty. Almost all the decoration of the chapel consisted of painting, even the figures and hieroglyphs of the stele, which were carved in hollow relief, were partially filled with plaster and then painted. The decoration was more fragile than sculpture, and had therefore suffered more from Mariette’s unscientific excavations than the sculptured tomb-chapels in the same cemetery. The walls of the chapel were lined with ashlar masonry in limestone; the west side was occupied by the “false door,” or stele, which was partly incised, partly painted; the other walls had been decorated with painting only; the east side, on which this figure occurs, was the best preserved. The stone slabs lining the chamber had a thin coating of plaster laid over their surface, not with any idea of presenting a smoother surface, but in order to take the paint better. The offering-bearer is walking and carrying a leg of the sacrificed ox; above and beside him is a hieroglyphic inscription in colour, giving his titles and name. It is a good example of the painting of the Old Kingdom. The drawing follows the style of the period with less detail than in relief sculpture, as there is no modelling; the whole effect depends on the outlines, the arrangement of figures and inscriptions, and, above all, on the colour. The outlines were drawn in red; this is not seen where the colour of the object is the same, but is clearly visible elsewhere. The paint