Tyler Schaber
10/22/14
Art History
My Ancient Art Gallery: 1
Title: Dolni Vestonice: Female Figurine I
Date: Roughly 28,000 to 24,000 B.C
Medium/Material: Baked Clay
Dimensions: Height: 11.5cm
Width: 4.4 cm
Thickness: 2.8 cm
Culture: Pavlovian/Gravettian
Period: Paleolithic
Museum: Brno Museum, Czech Republic
URL:
http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/sculpture/dolni_vestonice_figurine.php
Subject Matter Description:
Throughout the Paleolithic Period, “Venus figures” such as the Venus figure of Dolni Vestonice, were
found all over modern day Europe. These small Venus figures extended everywhere from, Germany,
Britain, France, and even as far east as Asia. This figure in particular was found by Karel Absolon in 1924 1938 in Dolní Věstonice in Moravia. This figurine was found broken into two pieces alongside numerous
amount of animal drawings and two kilns. Majority of these figures share common characteristics
involving their shape and size. Most of these figures were very plump in stature and depict a much
exaggerated view of the female body with very large breasts, thighs and hips. Little do many know, these
figures were “pocket sized” and could easily fit in the palm of your hand. Not only are these figures some
of the first representations of the human female, they are also some of the earliest ceramics known to us.
The Venus figure of Dolni Vestonice is one of the earliest examples of fired clay sculptures. Not all of the
known Venus figures were made from this medium, many were in fact made from mammoth tusks, bone
fragments, and limestone. These figurines were referred to as “Venus” figures after the Greek goddess of
love. This was problematic to name them this because of the simple fact that we really do not know the
real story behind these figures and because they have no relationship the Greek culture. It was just a
name given and really has no real connection to Venus.
Analysis:
The Venus figure of Dolni Vestonice is truly an amazing find, and still to this day is one of the most
detailed and well-made of the figurines found over time. Standing 11.5 cm high, The Venus figure of
Dolni Vestonice is one of the tallest of the figurines found. Many parts of The Venus figure of Dolni
Vestonice have been carved with such care. The artist who created this figure paid much attention to
parts of the female body that have a direct relationship to fertility, for example, the large breasts,
massive exaggerated hips, a large buttocks and or course a large round stomach with belly button. The
thing that really stands out in all of these figurines found around this time, is not the detail in these
parts, but the LACK of detail in all of the other parts of the human body such as the neck which is
nonexistent, and her face, which does not exist besides two little slits that may have been “eyes". These
figures had to have been made to be “portable” because of the fact that none of the Venus figures,
including The Venus figure of Dolni Vestonice, have no feet. No feet directly means that this was not
made to stand, but instead, made to be brought around. The Paleolithic period can be directly
associated with hunters and gatherers, which did not remain in a permanent location. The thing that
really caught my eye with this figure is the fact that it was made with fired clay and bone fragments and
was found alongside two kilns. This tells me that the people responsible for this figurine may have been
on the cusp of the Neolithic revolution in which people started to stay in one place. The fact that this
figure was “made to last” and was much more realistic then other of the past is evidence that the artist
knew what he or she was doing and had “perfected” this method.
Meaning/Purpose:
The exact meaning and purpose of this piece is really not known for sure. The most prominent theory is
that these figures were a sign of “fertility”. What really screams this is the amount of detail that was
only put into those parts of the female body that directly relate to fertility and life. A large belly, swelled
breasts, and wide hips is a universal sign of being pregnant and “fertile”. This may also be one of the
reasons why these figures were named after the Greek goddess of love, Venus. During the Paleolithic
period, many believe that art was made for to serve an actual purpose, instead of the idea of “art for
art’s sake" (Making art just for aesthetic purpose, and viewing pleasure). Since the Venus figure of Dolni
Vestonice was made with no feet, the figure was made to be brought around. Instead of “art for art’s
sake”, I believe that the theory of sympathetic magic is very relevant here. Sympathetic magic is based
on a fundamental relationship between an image (figure) and the person or persons associated with it
(such as a team and its mascot or wearing a certain shirt because it gives you “good luck”). In this case I
believe that these figures were held by woman as either a doll or a “good luck” charm while pregnant or
in the process of getting pregnant. There are many different theories behind these figures, some may
sound farfetched like the idea of the figures being used by men for “pleasure”. After doing more
research on this figure, I had found that in a recent study in 2004, a Tomograph scan of this figure had
actually revealed the finger print of a child estimated to be between the ages of 7-15. This further leads
to the confusion of what the real purpose of the piece actually was.
Title: Relief: King and Eunuch Attendant
Date: 883-859 B.C
Medium/Material: Gypsum Alabaster
Dimensions: Height: 94 ¼ in
Width: 95 ½ in
Location: Mesopotamia, Nimrud (ancient Kalhu)
Culture/Period: Neo Assyrian
Museum: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
URL: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-ofart/32.143.4
Subject Matter Description:
Assyria was once a major force in the progression of the new world. As Assyria began to rise as a
prominent force in the world, and after the conquering of Mesopotamia, many new types of art, and
warfare came into play. Unlike prior civilizations, the Assyrians brought with them a very aggressive
approach to everything that they did, from their art, to their warfare. One of the most well-known
things about this civilization was their perfection of warfare and there use of aggressive looking
propaganda that littered the walls of Assyrian palaces. These palaces were decorated by Assyrian Kings.
Massive reliefs could be found all over the walls, often depicting the power of the King in many different
ways. A very common theme seen in these reliefs were the power of the King against the ferocity of
nature, and kings beings depicted as godly, and larger than life. These reliefs were some of the first uses
of art as a way of scarring the enemy or showing the shear strength of the godlike kings (propaganda).
Picture yourself walking into a massive palace, full of larger than life statues (lamassus), and intimidating
reliefs showing a human (king) slaughtering lions which are known to be the kings of the wild world. It
was believed that the Assyrian kings were directly from the gods themselves. The king was the sole
leader of the kingdom and the strongest, most powerful man in the land. Ashurnasirpal
Analysis:
The relief of the King and Eunuch Attendant is one of the more famous pieced from this time. This
particular relief was from the throne room in the palace of Nimrud. The throne room here was decorated
with many reliefs which commemorated the military victories and traditional rituals of the late king
Ashurnasirpal. In this alabaster relief of the King and Eunuch Attendant, we can see the king Ashurnasirpal
II facing his Eunuch (a man who has been castrated, and made to serve). Located all the way on the right
side of this relief is the kings eunuch which can be seen with a “fly whisk” and a ladle which was used to
fill the royal vessel (cup). Second to the right, is the King Ashurnasirpal II. The king can easily be pointed
out in this relief because of his crown which was a fez with a pointed top and a draped cloth which can be
seen along his back. Another prominent feature in this relief is the bow which is held in the hand of the
king. This demonstrates his authority and power over the ferocity of nature. This bow would most likely
be used in the royal’s hunts which were a common thing of the time. The king and his vanguard would go
out in chariots and kill of nature’s most fierce animal, the lion. Only the king was allowed to kill these
beasts. The king in this relief is also equipped with a scimitar which was the main used weapon of the
time and was very effective because of its light weight and curved blade. Located behind the king, we can
see yet another eunuch which also demonstrates how important of a figure the king was. In ancient
Assyria it was common to depict humans with godlike (animal) qualities. By doing this it showed that the
king shared qualities with these strong animals of nature which made him look way more intimidating
and godly. If you knew nothing and were living in this time with no news or social media, and you saw
these incredible depictions of humans with wings and horned crown, I am sure you would be
intimidated.
Meaning/Purpose:
Being a warfare based civilization, Assyrian art is known to have been used to intimidate and or boast
the kingdom and scare outsiders. A major theme seen in most of ancient Assyrian art is the use of
weapons and depictions of the royal hunts. All over these palaces are paintings, sculptures and reliefs
showing this common theme in many different ways. I believe that most if not all of the art in these
palaces were just an early form of propaganda. If anyone outsiders or visitors were to come to this
palace, they would see massive half human half horse statues, huge murals of the king killing lions, and
reliefs showing the king being in the presence of the gods. It is a very simple concept in my opinion, and
the real meaning is very obvious; the king is all powerful and is directly associated with the gods. This is
exactly the types of art that will be showing up from this point on in history, art that glorifies the leader.
By giving the king and the people around him qualities that were beyond human, he was invincible as
well as highly respected.
Title: Statue
Date: 5th or 6th Egyptian Dynasty/ Around 2300BC
Medium/Material: Limestone
Culture/Period: Egyptian Old Kingdom
Museum: The British Museum
Dimensions: Height: 47.5 cm
URL:
http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=11
7639&partId=1&searchText=old+kingdom+egypt&page=9
Subject Matter Description:
Pair Statues were a very common find in many Old Kingdom private tombs. The location of this tomb in
particular is still unknown to us, but many believe it may have come from Giza. The fact that this couple
had a statue made for them is proof enough that this couple was royal, meaning they had enough
money to have a statue made for them. We can also tell that the two depicted here are not gods or
pharaohs but just a royal couple. Egyptian artists would depict the gods in a way more stylized manor,
and erect, very muscular body shape, and always wearing the memes crown. The fact that this statue
was made from limestone is also proof enough to tell us that this statue was not “made to last”. Gods
and Pharaohs of the time were made from much stronger mediums such a diorite. In this piece we see a
couple that is almost sitting equal in height, but we can clearly see that the male is the dominant person
judging by his location slightly above his wife. This statue has a very soft feel to it and not as much time
and precision went in to the detailing of their faces and features such as their chests and hair. Although
it is hard to see, this statue was once painted and both figures could be seen wearing colorful jewelry
and clothing.
Analysis:
When we look at this piece we just see a couple sitting next to each other, but this piece is much more
than that. This statue is actually known as a Ka Statue. Ka statues were placed in royal and non-royal
tombs. Both non royal and royal Ka statues served the same purpose. The medium here being used was
limestone, which was not a very durable and lasting medium such as that of diorite which tells us that
the ka statue here was of a royal couple, but not the actually pharaoh. This statue was placed inside the
private tomb of this deceased couple. These statues would serve as a “second body” to go into the
afterlife if the actual bodies of the couple were violated, tampered or had anything done to them. In this
statue in particular we can tell that this was most defiantly a couple, and not just two random people.
The woman has almost a warm feel to her and she is seen with her arm around her man in a very gentle
manner.
Meaning/Purpose:
Being that this was in fact a Ka statue, the purpose is very straightforward. Egyptians believed that the
should consisted of three parts, the KA, Ba, and ahnk. The Ka was represented by a figure with two
appraised arms. The Ka served as a spiritual twin of any Egyptian that it was made after. Everyone was
given a Ka when he or she was born and the main goal after death was to be merged with their Ka. As
we say today “the person passed away” Egyptian’s would say, “they have gone to their Ka”. Egyptians
believed that the ka was located within the mummy or the Ka statue. The statue served as a “second
chance” if the Ka was destroyed or tampered with, meaning that if the body of the dead was taken,
violated or anything done to it. The statue ka statue served basically as a backup drive for if anything
bad were to happen to your body. There is nothing that could be done if the Ka statue and and the body
were tampered with, this was the case in many massive grave sited and Pyramids because of the influx
of grave robbers and looters. Religion was everything for the Egyptians and from the day they are born
they worshiped their gods and pray to their Ka. To have a statue like this one made of you, even one
this small in size, you must have had money or some connections to a higher power or the royal family.
Often times the only Ka statues that we can see, are that of the Pharaoh, members of the royal family,
and high priest or scribes.