|
Industry : Bone and Ivory
Bone and Ivory
Animal bones, readily available in ancient Egypt from earliest times, provided a source of natural materials that could be employed in many ways. Bone can be easily splintered and carved, and from predynastic times onward it was made into awls, needles, arrowheads, harpoon heads, combs, beads, bracelets, amulets, and cosmetic containers. Bone was also inserted into some examples of inlaid eyes that were fixed into coffins, mummies, face masks, and statues, providing an alternative to crystalline limestone, opaque white quartz, or white opaque glass to represent the white of the eye. Ivory was also extensively in Egypt from the Predynastic Period onward. Hippopotamus ivory was readily available, since the animal lived in Egypt throughout this period, but elephant ivory, also employed from Neolithic times onwards, was probably imported from the south (Nubia) and later from Punt and Retenu in Asia. Ivory, well adapted for carving, was used for a variety of objects. There were fine statuettes such as the tiny figurines of Cheops (Khufu), builder of the Great Pyramid, and beautifully carved pieces from the tomb of Tutankhamun. Many tombs included ivory objects: There was jewelry in the form of anklets, armlets, bracelets, hairpins, rings, and earrings and cosmetic items such as boxes and caskets, combs, mirror handles, fans, and ointment spoons. Luxury domestic objects included shallow dishes, inlay and legs for furniture, and vases, and there were weapons such as arrowheads, handles for knives, daggers, and harpoon heads. There are also examples of gaming boards and gaming pieces; and occasionally ivory was used as a writing material. Ivory too was set into inlaid eyes to represent the white of the eye. It was perhaps shown to best effect, however, when combined with ebony as veneer and inlay for decorating furniture, boxes, gaming boards, and other items. Objects often made of inferior wood were covered with panels or strips of ivory and ebony. One particularly fine example is a casket from the royal treasure at Lahun covered with veneer and inlay in ebony and ivory. Outstanding pieces produced in Dynasty 18 were made for Amenhotep II, Tutankhamun, and Yuya and Thuya, the parents-in-law of Amenhotep III. Sometimes carved ivory objects were painted or stained, and excellent examples occur from the time of Tutankhamun. Such pieces were generally colored with red, although more rarely dark brown, black, or green were used. Red oxide of iron has been identified as the coloring agent used on some of these pieces, but otherwise the origin of the colors remains unidentified. .
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Industry : Bone and Ivory
|
||||
