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During the course of the Old Kingdom (ca. 2649–2150 B.C.E.), Egyptians not only created the pyramid, which has come to stand as an emblem of the civilization, but also established an artistic tradition that endured for three thousand years. Working within a canon of circumscribed types, they were able to express the multiplicity of existence.
Old Kingdom art first came to light in the middle of the nineteenth century, and explorations marked by many spectacular discoveries have continued to the present. In recent years especially there has been a notable renaissance in studies of the period. This flowering of research has inspired the many authors of this volume, which accompanies a major exhibition of Old Kingdom art held at the Grand Palais in Paris, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto.
In essays that will enrich the understanding of the general and scholarly audience alike, international experts examine the history of the Old Kingdom, the architecture of royal pyramid complexes and nonroyal tombs, statuary, reliefs, minor arts, and the history of excavations of Old Kingdom monuments. They also focus sharply on the individual works in the exhibition in more than two hundred entries. The texts are lavishly supported by plans, drawings, and photographs of the works in the exhibition as well as comparative material. Chronology, provenances, references, extensive bibliography, and index.
This exhibition is made possible by Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman. Additional support has been provided by The Starr Foundation. The exhibit was organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Réunion des musées nationaux, Paris, and the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto. An indemnity has been granted by the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. The publication is made possible by the Adelaide Milton de Groot Fund, in memory of the de Groot and Hawley families.
[This book was originally published in 1999 and has gone out of print. This edition is a print-on-demand version of the original book.]