The reunification of ancient Egypt achieved by Nebhepetre Mentuhotep
II-the first pharaoh of the Middle Kingdom-was followed by a great
cultural flowering that lasted nearly 400 years. During the Middle
Kingdom (mid-Dynasty 11-Dynasty 13, around 2030-1650 B.C.), artistic,
cultural, religious, and political traditions first conceived and
instituted during the Old Kingdom were revived and reimagined. This
transformational era will be represented through 230 powerful and
compelling masterworks (individual objects and groups of objects) in the
major international exhibition Ancient Egypt Transformed: The Middle Kingdom,
opening October 12 at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Fashioned
with great subtlety and sensitivity, and ranging in size from monumental
stone sculptures to delicate examples of jewelry, the works of art are
drawn from the preeminent collection of the Metropolitan-which is
particularly rich in Middle Kingdom material-and 37 museums and
collections in North America and Europe. This is the first comprehensive
presentation of Middle Kingdom art and culture and features many
objects that have never been shown in the United States.
The exhibition is made possible by Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman.
Additional
support is provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Diane Carol
Brandt, and The Daniel P. Davison Fund.
It is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
"The
astonishing continuity of ancient Egyptian culture, with certain basic
principles lasting for thousands of years, gives the impression of
changelessness," said Adela Oppenheim, Curator of Egyptian Art. "But the
works of art in the exhibition will show that ancient Egypt constantly
evolved, and was remarkably flexible within a consistent framework. New
ideas did not simply replace earlier notions; they were added to what
had come before, creating a fascinating society of ever-increasing
complexity."
Arranged
thematically and chronologically, the exhibition opens with a forceful,
monumental statue of King Mentuhotep II, carved in an intentionally archaic style that suggests a link to the legendary kings of early Egypt (ca. 3300 B.C.).
Profound changes in the concept of kingship are demonstrated through a
series of royal statues that span several hundred years. Early Middle
Kingdom pharaohs are often depicted with youthful faces and confident
expressions. In contrast, the evocative, fleshy faces and deep-set, hooded eyes of later kings present startling images of maturity and humanity.
During
the 12th Dynasty, the construction of pyramid complexes resumes, after a
lapse of more than a century. The innovation found in these complexes
is exemplified by that of Senwosret III (around 1878-1840 B.C.) at
Dahshur, site of Metropolitan Museum excavations since 1990. A
detailed 1-to-150 scale model made by Ron Street, Supervisor of the
Museum's Three-Dimensional Imaging, Prototyping, and Molding Studio,
will show the original form of the complex.
Royal women were always closely connected to the pharaoh, as evidenced by the placement of their burials and chapels near those of the king. Although less is known about
Middle Kingdom queens and princesses, indicating altered or perhaps
diminished roles during the era, some of the finest ancient Egyptian
jewelry was produced for elite women of the time. Inscriptions and
symbolic motifs endowed the jewelry with spiritual power and related to
the role these women played in supporting the kings as guarantors of divine order on earth.
During
the Middle Kingdom, members of all levels of Egyptian society
commissioned a wider variety of works of art and constructed
commemorative chapels at significant holy sites; statues of squatting
figures rendered in a cubic, block-like form and statues in an attitude
of prayer originate during this period.
Thematic
groupings of artifacts from domestic settings, tombs, and temples
reveal the breadth of artistic expression, evolution of styles, and the
transformation of many aspects of Egyptian culture and religion. First
attested in the Middle Kingdom are a variety of intriguing, protective
magical objects, notably some that were believed to shield pregnant
women and young children. Among them are curved hippopotamus tusks that
are unique to this era and are covered with images of beneficial
supernatural beings.
The
family was always a central element of ancient Egyptian culture, but in
the Middle Kingdom larger groups of relatives are depicted together on
stelae and sculptures. One remarkable stela on view features depictions
of 30 individuals. Others include poignant groupings of mothers and
their young children.
Significant
changes in afterlife beliefs during the Middle Kingdom are manifest in
new kinds ofobjects present in burials. Intricately and finely rendered
miniatures of painted wood
(so-called models) from the tomb of the chancellor Meketre (ca. 1980-75
B.C.), excavated by the Metropolitan in 1920, depict food production,
manufacturing, and journeys by boat; they are displayed in several
sections of the exhibition.
During
the Middle Kingdom, the god Osiris gained importance as a funerary
deity and, from then on, the dead at all levels of society became
manifestations of the god. Because
Osiris functioned as the ruler of the underworld, certain symbols and
regalia that had been the sole prerogative of the reigning king were
appropriated for non-royal use:
mummies sometimes had a uraeus on the brow (a stylized cobra usually
seen on a pharaoh's crown), and a flail (a standard attribute of the
pharaoh) could be placed inside a coffin. Canopic jars, which held the
organs of the deceased, became much more ornate in the Middle Kingdom.
With lids in the form of human heads, the vessels are small sculptures
in their own right.
As
devotion to Osiris increased, his cult center at Abydos (north of
Luxor) gained prominence. Annual processions were held between his
temple and his supposed burial place in the desert to the west. To
participate eternally in these elaborate rites and ensure their
afterlife, individuals at many levels of society erected memorial
chapels-some with outstanding artworks-for themselves and their families
along the procession route.
Deity
temples-largely built of fragile mud brick in the Old Kingdom-were
transformed dramatically during the Middle Kingdom, when pharaohs
commissioned decorated stone temples throughout the country. Decoration
included spectacular sculpture and reliefs depicting the pharaoh
presenting offerings to and revering deities, as well as statues of the
gods.
Colossal
statues were first made during the Old Kingdom, but they became much
more common during the Middle Kingdom. Portions of colossal statues will
be displayed throughout the exhibition, with the largest in scale being
presented at its conclusion: a monumental head of pharaoh Amenemhat III
that was transported to the Delta city of Bubastis and reused by later
kings. The same happened to the colossal statue of a mid-Dynasty 12
king, on loan from the Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, Berlin,
and on view in the Museum's Great Hall. Pharaohs after the Middle
Kingdom reused the monuments of their predecessors, particularly those
of the Middle Kingdom, both for economy and to link themselves to the
past.
General
knowledge of the history of the Middle Kingdom-the achievements of its
artists, its religious beliefs, burial customs, and relationships with
other lands-stems in large part from Metropolitan Museum sponsorship of
numerous excavations at Middle Kingdom sites including Deir el-Bahri
(1920-31), Lisht (1906-34, 1984-91), and Dahshur (1990-present).
Credits and Related Resources
Ancient Egypt Transformed: The Middle Kingdom is
organized by Adela Oppenheim, Curator, and Dorothea Arnold, Curator
Emerita, with Dieter Arnold, Curator, and Kei Yamamoto, Research
Associate, all of the Department of Egyptian Art. Exhibition design is
by Daniel Kershaw, Exhibition Design Manager; graphics are by Mortimer
Lebigre, Graphic Designer; and lighting is by Clint Ross Coller and
Richard Lichte, Lighting Design Managers, all of the Museum's Design
Department. A fully illustrated
catalogue, suitable for scholars and general readers alike, will be
published by the Metropolitan Museum and distributed by Yale University
Press. The book will be available in the Museum's book shops ($75,
hardcover).
The catalogue is made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Related events include a Sunday at the Met on October 25; a one-day symposium on Friday, January 22; a studio workshop on jewelry design on October 17 and 24 (register at www.metmuseum.org/artmaking); a workshop for K-12 educators; a Met Escapes program for individuals
living with dementia and their care partners; and thematic gallery
talks in the Museum's permanent collection.
An audio tour, part of the Museum's Audio Guide program, is available for rental ($7, $6 for Members, $5 for children under 12).
The Audio Guide is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies.
A
free interactive family guide, available within the exhibition and
suitable for children of all ages, will encourage focused looking at
selected objects on view.
The exhibition will be featured on the Museum's website, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter via the hashtag #MiddleKingdomEgypt.
New York, NY…The New Museum is pleased to announce that Hilton Als, author and critic, will be featured as this year’s Visionary speaker. The Visionaries Series at
the New Museum honors forward-thinking leaders in the fields of art,
architecture, design, film, and related disciplines of contemporary
culture. Now in its seventh season, the annual series spotlights
innovators who shape intellectual life and define the future of culture.
This year’s event will take place on Tuesday, September 15, 2015, at 7
p.m. in the New Museum Theater.