Hippopotamus "William"
First half of Dynasty 12 ca. 1981-1884 B.C.
From the New Kingdom to the Roman Period
I might not be able to use my time to "live" in the Met for as long as I thought with the immediate move to London in January. But, still I will use my time and enjoy the art slowly, if I don´t get to see everything in depth... I will just have to continue in London with the abundance of art one can find there!
I had to first go back to the beloved Hippo "William" that somehow I did not notice on my first adventure into the old Kingdom. How I could miss out on this beauty I have no idea. It is turning into one of my favorites as well. The Hippo was seen as one of the most dangerous animals in the Nile Valley but it also was considered a magical protector against evil. There are lotuses painted on its body to bring out its rejuvenating forces.
Temple of Dendur
The Temple of Dendur is jaw dropping. It must be experienced. A Met Sanctuary.
Four Statues of the Goddess Sakhmet
New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, ca. 1390-1352 B.C.
reign of Amenhotep III
Look at these statues, don´t they have a strong dominance over you. A power that you could not have strength to stand up to? The Goddess Sakhmet represents the force of violence, unexpected disaster and illness. She is also thought of as the daughter of the sun god Re.
Head of Tutankhamun (1336-1327 B.C)
The boyish gentle features in this statue represents the head of Tutankhamon, probably from the beginning of his reign. At the Egyptian Museum in Cairo is the Mask of Tutankhamun's mummy. Probably one of the most famous ancient icons.
From the Tomb of Sennedjem
Dynasty 19 early in the reign of Ramesses II
(ca. 1304-1237 B.C.)
Canupic Jars
(664 - 525 B.C.)
Now these are incredibly interesting. The Canupic Jars was filled with the organs that got removed during the process of the mummification. The organs were then placed under the protection of the Four Sons of Horus. Hapy (baboon-headed), Imsety (human-headed), Duamutef (jackal-headed) and Kebehsenuef (falcon-headed).
Silver Statuette of a Woman
Dynasty 26, reign of Necho II
(610-595 B.C.)
Silver was not common in ancient Egypt, much rarer than gold and at times maybe more valuable. This statuette is therefore rare also in its size and very modern, I think.
The Meternich Stela
Dynasty 30, 360-342 B.C.
Graywache
A stela can be a different kinds of monuments like a tombstone. This one seems to show how to take control against poison and illness. Look how infant Horus is holding dangerous beasts and also standing on crocodiles.
Jewelry from about 1st. Century B.C. to 1st Century A.D.
With woven fertility patterns.
Mask of a Woman with a large Coil of Plaited Hair
Reign of Hadrian A.D. 117 -138
The Egyptian Golden age ended with the reign of Cleopatra, but not much shown about that at the Metropolitan unfortunately. Roman power and influence took over, and the last mask here is of the Roman Empress Sabina, wife of Hadrian.
I will write about the further adventure into the Roman Empire and the Grecian Art at the Met later.
With Love
Kristin
Great journey with you to the Met again!
ReplyDeleteMy oldest monkeys like to tell everyone that more people are killed in Africa by hippos than... was it snakes or crocodiles- I listen to little boy non-sense too much to remember such a fact.
That is so interesting...I love the stelas...They are full of little intersting details. The hippo is beautiful too.
ReplyDeleteKisses, my dear
Ps: there is so much art to see in London
Oh I love the Met!
ReplyDeleteThat hippo is so fab!
xoxox,
CC
That hippo is just FABULOUS!! :)SarahD
ReplyDeleteWOW! so random you picked that hippo. I have a replica of it on my coffee table staring at me now as I type....
ReplyDeleteI always loved that hippo (and the Temple of dendur, of course) at the Met! (There's a similar lovely hippo at the British Museum :)). Thanks for another always-wonderful NYC peek.
ReplyDeleteOh, in London we once had a flat in County Hall, near the London Eye (it literally was the local seat of government, hence the name, until Thatcher just *abolished* the local gov't in the 80s!). We've also lived in 2 other addresses over the past 4 years (the other 2 were in Putney). I enjoyed the County Hall location just because it was soo convenient and the people who worked in the building were so nice. The flat was the size of a closet, but it didn't matter :) We had to give it up once we realized we couldn't afford 2 apts in 2 countries with us spending more time Stateside! (It makes me a bit nostalgic to think of that still). Have you been narrowing down your choices of neighborhoods more (btw, I also love the Hampstead and Belsize Park area in N London!)
Gosh, sorry for another loooong comment :)
I loooooooooooooved the hippo. Does this make sense?
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting on my post by the way. I'm glad you liked those pictures. Will post more soon. :)
this part of the museum always amazes me because of how well preserved these items are... have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteLove this, I almost feel like I'm there.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on the hippo, I love how there are lotuses painted on it to bring out its powers of rejuvenation! And, as I may have already mentioned I'm minorly obsessed with ancient Egypt, their elaborate mummification ceremonies, everything. Just incredible!
ReplyDeleteSo awesome! I know it isn't the full effect of being there, but I really am enjoying your virtual tour! Quite the undertaking, I quite admire you! XX!
ReplyDeleteI love all things Egypt! So fascinating... my dad and stepmom were just there for 10 days..can't wait to see their pics.
ReplyDelete