Abstract
This study is focused on the artists involved in the decoration of the private Theban tombs of the nobles of the Egyptian XVIIIth Dynasty, who were part of the court and usually had a close relationship with the king. These private tombs, full of vivacious and original decorations, have been a focus of attention for Egyptologists, but few studies have tried to explore the role of the artists who painted these scenes, their background and their sources of inspiration. The case of the private Theban funerary chapels seems to be quite different from the Royal tombs, known to have been built and decorated by Deir el Medina artisans. It is still a matter of debate if the artists living there were involved in the work of private tombs, or even if they were allowed to. Despite the absence of significant written sources regarding Egyptian artists' organization, we will try to explore their 'methodology' (not so different from modern artist methodology), their problems when performing the decoration, the degree of freedom when selecting the themes in the tomb repertoire and the implication of the tomb owners themselves on that choice. Innovation and new pictorial resources will be also analysed, as they must have played an important role in the tomb scenes. The tomb was not only a resting place but also a memorial chapel visited by relatives and friends during religious festivals, and its decoration turned to be a way of showing social achievements and a way of perpetuating their memory.
Author Information
Inmaculada Vivas Sainz, Universidad Nacional de Educacion a Distancia, Spain
Paper Information
Conference: ECAH2014
Stream: Arts - Arts Theory and Criticism
This paper is part of the ECAH2014 Conference Proceedings (View)
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