Egyptian sculpture

20 EGYPTIAN SCULPTURE

Brown.—There were several varieties of this colour. Unburnt ochre used alone or washed over a coating of red (haematite). Or a ground of black washed over with red.

GREEN.—Malachite. .

Grey.—A yellowish earth mixed with black. This was the colour used for backgrounds.

ORANGE.— Yellow ochre washed with haematite.

RepD.—Haematite ground with water.

WuitE.—Gypsum (calcium sulphate).

YELLOW.— Yellow ochre.

To make a paler shade of any colour it was mixed with the white gypsum.

THE CANON

The Egyptian canon varies according to period, and is peculiarly important in judging relief sculpture and painting. A slight amount of variation is found in every period, due to the personal equation, and to the fact that the ruled lines, by which the artist measured his figure, were not always regular.

It is very clear that the artist followed certain rules of proportion for the human figure. The height is never measured to the top of the head, but is always taken to the top of the forehead, where the hair or the head-dress begins. The height of the head above that point varies considerably: in the Old Kingdom it is usually rather low and flat, while in the later periods it is higher and more rounded.

When setting out his first sketch, the artist ruled out his papyrus or wall in squares, and in this way drew his figure to scale. Each square counts as half a unit, and the head seems to be the standard of measurement. In working out the canon for each period, it is necessary to remember that it is the upright male figure, either standing or walking,