Editing Ancient art (section)

=== Egyptian ===
{{main|Art of ancient Egypt}}
Due to the highly religious nature of ancient [[Ancient Egypt]]ian civilization, many of the great works of ancient Egypt depict gods, goddesses, and [[Pharaohs]], who were also considered divine. The idea of order characterizes ancient Egyptian art. Clear and simple lines combined with simple shapes and flat areas of colour helped to create a sense of order and balance in the art of ancient Egypt. Ancient Egyptian artists used vertical and horizontal reference lines to maintain the correct proportions in their work. Political and religious, as well as artistic, order was also maintained in Egyptian art. To clearly define the social hierarchy of a situation, figures were drawn to sizes that were based not on their distance from the painter's perspective but on relative importance. For instance, the Pharaoh would be drawn as the largest figure in a painting no matter where he was situated, and a greater God would be drawn larger than a lesser god.

Symbolism also played an important role in establishing a sense of order. Symbolism, ranging from the Pharaoh's regalia (symbolizing his power to maintain order) to the individual symbols of Egyptian gods and goddesses, was omnipresent in Egyptian art. Animals were usually also highly symbolic figures in Egyptian art. Colour, as well, had extended meaning—blue and green represented the Nile and life; yellow stood for the sun god; and red represented power and vitality. The colours in Egyptian artifacts have survived extremely well over the centuries because of Egypt's dry climate.

Despite the stilted form caused by a lack of perspective, ancient Egyptian art is often highly realistic. Ancient Egyptian artists often show a sophisticated knowledge of anatomy and close attention to detail, especially in their renderings of animals.
During the 18th Dynasty of Egypt a Pharaoh by the name of [[Akhenaton]] took the throne and abolished the traditional [[polytheism]]. He formed a monotheistic religion based on the worship of Aten, a sun god. Artistic change followed political upheaval. A new style of art was introduced that was more naturalistic than the stylized frieze favored in Egyptian art for the previous 1700 years. After Akhenaton's death, however, Egyptian artists reverted to their old styles.

[[Faience]] that was produced in [[History of ancient Egypt|ancient Egyptian]] antiquity as early as 3500 BC was in fact superior to the tin-glazed [[earthenware]] of the European 15th century.<ref name="Friedman">{{cite news|url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1026/is_n3_v154/ai_21146424|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041020082209/http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1026/is_n3_v154/ai_21146424|url-status=dead|archive-date=2004-10-20|title=Ancient Egyptian faience|last=Friedman|first=Florence Dunn|date=September 1998|access-date=2008-12-22}}</ref> [[Ancient Egypt]]ian [[faience]] was not made of [[clay]] but instead actually of a [[ceramic]] composed primarily of [[quartz]].

<gallery widths="170px" heights="170px">
Princess Nefertiabet before her meal-E 15591-IMG 9645-gradient.jpg|Stele of Princess [[Nefertiabet]] eating; 2589–2566 BC; limestone & paint; height: 37.7&nbsp;cm, length: 52.5&nbsp;cm, depth: 8.3&nbsp;cm; from [[Giza]]; [[Louvre]] (Paris)
Pectoral and Necklace of Sithathoryunet with the Name of Senwosret II MET DT531.jpg|Pectoral and necklace of Princess [[Sithathoriunet]]; 1887–1813 BC; gold, [[carnelian]], [[lapis lazuli]], [[turquoise]], [[garnet]] & [[feldspar]]; height of the pectoral: 4.5&nbsp;cm; [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] (New York City)

Standing Hippopotamus MET DP248993.jpg|''[[William the Faience Hippopotamus]]''; 1961–1878&nbsp;BC; faience; 11.2 × 7.5&nbsp;cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art

Kneeling portrait statue of Amenemhat holding a stele with an inscription 01.jpg|Kneeling portrait statue of Amenemhat holding a stele with an inscription; circa 1500 BC; limestone; [[Egyptian Museum of Berlin]] (Germany)

Hatnefer's Chair MET 21M CAT047R4 (cropped).jpg|Chair of [[Hatnefer]]; 1492–1473&nbsp;BC; boxwood, cypress, ebony & linen cord; height: 53&nbsp;cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art

File:Statuette of the lady Tiye MET DT221869.jpg|Statuette of the lady [[Tiye]]; 1390-1349 BC; wood, [[carnelian]], gold, glass, [[Egyptian blue]] and paint; height: 24&nbsp;cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art

Egyptian Museum (337).jpg|Mask of [[Tjuyu]]; c.&nbsp;1387–1350&nbsp;BC; gold, past of glass, alabaster and other materials; height: 40&nbsp;cm; [[Egyptian Museum]] ([[Cairo]])

CairoEgMuseumTaaMaskMostlyPhotographed.jpg|The ''[[Mask of Tutankhamun]]''; {{circa|1327 BC}}; gold, glass and semi-precious stones; height: 54&nbsp;cm; Egyptian Museum
Nofretete Neues Museum.jpg|The ''[[Nefertiti Bust]]''; 1352–1332 BC; painted [[limestone]]; height: 50&nbsp;cm; [[Neues Museum]] ([[Berlin]], Germany)
Abu Simbel Temple May 30 2007.jpg|The entrance of [[Abu Simbel temples#The Great Temple|the Great Temple]] of the [[Abu Simbel temples]], founded around 1264 BC

Clevelandart 1914.714.jpg|Coffin of Nesykhonsu; c.&nbsp;976&nbsp;BC; gessoed and painted sycamore fig; overall: 70&nbsp;cm; [[Cleveland Museum of Art]] ([[Cleveland]], [[Ohio]], US)

Canopic Jars (9174679414).jpg|Complete set of canopic jars decorated with [[Egyptian hieroglyphic|hieroglyphics]]; 744–656&nbsp;BC; painted sycomore fig wood; various heights; [[British Museum]] (London)

Cosmetic box in the shape of a composite capital MET DT4407.jpg|Cosmetic box in the shape of an Egyptian composite capital, its cap being in the left side; 664–300&nbsp;BC; glassy faience; 8.5 × 9&nbsp;cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art

Statuette of Anubis MET 38.5 EGDP022863.jpg|Statuette of [[Anubis]]; 332–30&nbsp;BC; plastered and painted wood; 42.3&nbsp;cm; Metropolitan Museum of Art

Philae temple at night.jpg|The well preserved The Temple of Isis from [[Philae]] (Egypt) is an example of [[Ancient Egyptian architecture|Egyptian architecture]] and [[architectural sculpture]]

Lepsius-Projekt tw 1-2-108.jpg|Illustration of various types of capitals, drawn by the egyptologist [[Karl Richard Lepsius]]
</gallery>