EGYPT, Malqata, Palace of Amenhotep III, Blue-painted ibex amphora, New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, reign of Amenhotep III, c. 1390–1353 BCE, Nile silt, white slipped and decorated, 39.5 x 21.0 cm diameter, Rogers Fund, 1911 (11.215.460), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
The study of ancient Egyptian decorative arts tends to focus upon manufactures in glass, precious stones and glazed composition, such a jewellery, containers and sculptures. Ceramics, which were generally undecorated, are viewed as utilitarian and often ignored. Yet during the New Kingdom - Egypt’s Golden Age - elaborately decorated pottery was produced for use on festive occasions within palaces, temples and the homes of the elite. The best quality was made in the period of King Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti, their likely son Tutankhamun and the king’s father Amenhotep III (1390-1327 BCE), in the royal workshops using a pale blue cobalt pigment and with a wide range of other techniques. It was distributed around the country and has been found as far afield as Syria and the Sudan.
This lecture will discuss the decoration of such rare material, looking at their ceremonial use, what they say about an ancient aesthetic and how they are used within archaeology to aid in dating and the study of ancient technology.
Speaker Associate Professor Colin Hope, Director, Centre for Ancient Cultures, School of Philosophical, Historical & International Studies, Monash University
Date: 6pm, Wednesday 11th November 2015
Cost: Free, bookings recommended. See the website for further details http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/program/the-robert-wilson-annual-decorative-arts-lecture/#date0
Venue: Clemenger BBDO Auditorium, Ground Level, NGV International (enter North entrance via the Arts Centre forecourt)
The Robert Wilson Annual Decorative Arts Lecture acknowledges Dr Wilson’s outstanding philanthropy to the Decorative Arts collection, as well as his long-standing contribution to the Public Programs department at the NGV.