Chair of Reniseneb, Sketch 987

Posted on April 26, 2015 by treshabarger

I sketched the chair seat a couple of times, working on the angle. I still think it’s off a bit.

Egypt, circa 1450 BCE; Wood, ebony, ivory

Description from the Metropolitan Museum of Art:

The back of this wooden chair, which belonged to the scribe Reniseneb, is handsomely veneered with ivory and embellished with incised decoration showing the owner seated on a chair of identical form. It is the earliest surviving chair with such a representation, and it is the only non-royal example known. The scene and accompanying text have funerary import and may have been added following Renyseneb’s death to make the chair a more suitable funerary object. The high quality of its joinery and the harmony of its proportions testify to the skill of ancient Egyptian carpenters. The mesh seat has been restored following ancient models.

Sketch 087: Chair of Reniseneb, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, Patricia R. Lassalle Gift, 1968

It’s been two weeks since I used an artifact from the Metropolitan Museum of Art for my sketches. I wonder if they missed me.

Arched Harp, Sketch 063

Posted on April 2, 2015 by treshabarger

circa 1390-1295 BCE; Egypt; wood

Description from the Metropolitan Museum of Art:

Egyptian arched harps from Dynasty 4 onward coexisted with a great variety of harps in different shapes and sizes. Two harp types were most common—the arched harp with a curved neck, like this one, and the angled harp with a neck sharply perpendicular to the body. Unlike most European versions, ancient Egyptian harps have no forepillars to strengthen and support the neck. Older forms of arched harps had four or five strings, this harp has twelve strings. Skin once covered the open, slightly waisted sound box. Rope tuning rings under each string gave a buzzing sound to the soft-sounding tone produced. Topping the arched frame of the harp is a carved human head.

Sketch 063: Arched Harp, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rogers Fund, 1943