Middle Kingdom

Mentuhotep II, the first ruler of the united Middle Kingdom in the 11th Dynasty, created a new style in mortuary monuments, probably inspired by the pyramid complexes of the Old Kingdom. On the west bank at Thebes he constructed a valley temple connected by a long causeway to a platformed temple nestled in the rocky hillside. The walls were decorated with reliefs of the king in the company of the gods.

Architecture:

The architecture of the Middle Kingdom (the time from Mentuhotep II through the 13th Dynasty) is not well represented by preserved examples. A small building of Sesostris I (reigned 1962-1928 BC) of the 12th Dynasty, however, has been recovered from one of the later pylons of the temple at Karnak for which its blocks were reused as filling material. This small chapel, actually a station for the procession of a sacred boat, may be used to typify the style of the time. Essentially cubic in design and constructed on a strict post-and-lintel system, this small building has a purity of line and controlled proportions that give it a timeless character. The piers are decorated in fine raised relief with images of the king and the gods.

Sculpture:

The sculpture of the Middle Kingdom is often described as a new attempt at realism. The early work of this period directly imitates Old Kingdom examples in an attempt to restore old traditions, but the sculpture of the 12th Dynasty exhibits a fresh interest in reality. Portraits of rulers such as Amenemhet III and Sesostris III are clearly different from those of Old Kingdom rulers.

In the 12th Dynasty images of the king are not idealized to the point of being godlike. The care and concern of high office are clearly mirrored in the face. The bone structure is indicated beneath taut surfaces, producing a type of serious realism not encountered before in Egyptian art. Statues of private persons at all times tended to imitate the royal style; thus it is natural that portraits of the nobility in the 12th Dynasty show this same realism.

Painting:

The tombs of the nobility continued to be placed in their own centers of influence rather than at the royal capital. Although many of these tombs were decorated in relief carving like the Aswan tombs in the south, the tombs at Beni Hassan and Al Bersha in Middle Egypt were often decorated only with painting. Those that remain show the work of provincial artisans who attempted to adhere to the standards of royal workshops. Some new types and depictions appear, but the old standards served as a guide to the subjects and arrangements. Painting can also be illustrated by the decoration of the rectangular wooden coffins typical of this period.

Decorative Arts:

The Middle Kingdom was also a time when superb works in the decorative arts were produced-in particular, jewelry made of precious metals inlaid with colored stone. The art of faience (tin oxide-glazed earthenware) achieved a new importance for the manufacture of amulets and small figures. Perhaps best known are the blue-glazed hippopotamuses decorated with painted water plants.

Playing: Raheeb Midi