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When it comes to the Greeks and Egyptians, their cultures have influenced the artwork we see every day. Each culture has existed for centuries and throughout that time different kinds of art have been produced. When looking through each set of art for each culture, the Greeks and Egyptians have their own style to the way they make it. One of the most common forms of art is sculpture. When creating sculptures one of the most important techniques used is relief. This is important for the look of any relief because it creates depth and detail in each piece. Relief can be seen throughout Roman, Etruscan, Sumerian, Minoan, and Mycenaean cultures. Egyptian and Greek relief sculptures have many similarities and differences when it comes to the context, materials, and style of each piece.

In the Berlin State Museum, is a  34 x 26’’ sculpture Relief from Chrysapha. This is a piece that dates to around 540 BCE. Also, in the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore is an 8 7/8 x 6 1/4 x 5 5/16" sculpture Baker Djehuty and Wife Ahhotep. This relief dates from around 1500-1450 BC. Both these pieces are good examples of relief within each culture. When it comes to the Relief from Chrysapha (pictured below) there are certain similarities to Baker Djehuty and Wife Ahhotep. For instance, in both reliefs, there appears to be two people represented in each. What’s interesting about Relief from Chrysapha is that the figure in the background is positioned in a way that isn’t commonly seen in Greek art. Like Egyptian art, It uses a composite pose, which is common for how Egyptian figures are usually positioned. It’s really unusual to see a Greek sculpture which uses a composite pose, but it’s what makes this piece really unique. As seen in Egyptian relief sculpture, the figures are not in a composite pose, but their positions are not uncommon for Egyptian sculptures. Frontality is used for the figures in Baker Djehuty and Wife Ahhotep and it is usually associated with people of higher status. 

  Also, In the Relief from Chrysapha, there is a hierarchy of scale between the seated figures and the ones standing below. This canon is mostly associated with Egyptian art and is most commonly shown in a piece where there is an important figure such as a pharaoh or king. Also for the Greek relief, there are smaller figures at the bottom. Since the figures are small, it must mean that they are probably peasants, servants or people of lower status. They also seem to be offering something to the couple. The people seated are comparatively larger which must mean that they are very wealthy or of higher status. There is no hierarchy of scale used for the Egyptian relief, but it has its own way of getting the point across that the people seated are important.

When comparing both reliefs there appears to be a funerary theme with each one. According to author Eleanor Guralnick when discussing the Relief from Chrysapha, “There are a number of details associated with funerary themes, such as the snake, the veil of mourning, the cup, the pomegranate, the lotus flower, the hen and the egg” (175). When looking at the meaning behind the details, the snake played an important role for the Greeks. The snake was considered a symbol of the underworld and supposedly the deceased would take this form and enjoy the offerings which are brought (Guralnick 183).  While the Egyptian relief follows the beliefs that the spirit of the deceased dwell inside. Also, the Relief from Chrysapha and Baker Djehuty and Wife Ahhotep both have what it appears to be a man and wife with each. The idea of unity and marriage is crucial to both these cultures, but it’s represented mostly with higher status people. Also in the Egyptian relief, there is a strip of hieroglyphs which probably symbolizes unity between the husband and wife. 

There are many connections between the cultures of each relief, but there are also many differences. The main function for the Egyptian relief is meant to be a resting place for the deceased figures while the Relief from Chrysapha has no special function other than being for decoration. Also in the Egyptian relief, there is a strip of hieroglyphs which probably symbolizes unity between the husband and wife. 

There are a lot of connections between both cultures, but there are also many differences between the two reliefs. The main function for the Egyptian relief is meant to be a resting place for the deceased figures while the Relief from Chrysapha has no special function other than being for decoration. Also in the Egyptian relief, there is a strip of hieroglyphs which probably symbolizes unity between the husband and wife. 

For each relief, there are different materials used. The Greeks often used marble or bronze for their sculptures while the Egyptians used materials like limestone and other rocks. According to Eleanor Guralnick, the Relief from Chrysapha is made from Laconian stone which derives from the city of Laconia (175). This wasn’t a real common material used for Greek sculpture since it was only local to the city.  The Egyptian relief is made of limestone, which was most commonly used to make structures like, temples, pyramids, or other sculptures. 

There is also a difference in style because they each come from different time periods. The Relief from Chrysapha is from the Archaic period and Baker Djehuty and Wife Ahhotep (pictured above) is from the New Kingdom age. When looking at the Greek relief there are certain characteristics which go with the Archaic period. The sculptures were considered more naturalistic and expressive. As seen in the Greek relief, it has what is known as an ‘“Archaic smile” which was represented often in sculptures. Although the New Kingdom age was mostly known for its architecture, there was a variety of sculptures produced during that time. During this age, deities were mostly represented in funerary sculptures. According to author Emily Teeter, “From the New Kingdom onward figures of the jackal deity, usually of wood were attached to the top of funerary shrines or coffins where the image was thought to afford protection to the contents of the container” (27). The belief is that Anubis is the protector of the dead and he would mummify them when they are preparing to cross over. Although there is no figure of Anubis, there is no doubt that Baker Djehuty and Wife Ahhotep had this in the temple where it was originally located.

Throughout the centuries, both the Greek and Egyptian cultures have had a large variety of artworks and styles.  As seen in the Relief from Chrysapha there are many connections to the Egyptian culture when analyzing at its theme, and canon. Although the Egyptian relief doesn’t have any real connection to the Greek culture there many differences between the two. In Baker Djehuty and Wife Ahhotep, the meaning behind the relief contrasts with the Greek sculpture regarding that one’s spirit dwells inside. There is also a difference in materials. The Greeks had a larger variety of tools than the Egyptians, which means that their sculptures were a little more detailed. Not every piece is similar but there can be connections when comparing between cultures. 

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Bibliography

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 Kleiner, Fred S. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages: a Global History (14th edition), 

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              Boston, MA:Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2013.

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Smith, Tyler Jo and Dimitris Plantzos. A Companion to Greek Art. Wiley-Blackwell, 

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              2012.EBSCOhost.

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Guralnick, Eleanor. “The Chrysapha Relief and Its Connections with Egyptian Art.” The Journal of

 

             Egyptian Archaeology, vol. 60, 1974, pp. 175–188. JSTOR, Web. 16 March, 2018.

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Teeter, Emily. “Egyptian Art.” Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies, vol. 20, no. 1, 

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             1994, pp. 15–31. JSTOR, Web. 16 March, 2018.