Dr Campbell Price – Perfected Forms Functions of Non-Royal
Sculpture in the Late Period
Where Rosalie talked about the purpose of the space in a
temple Campbell wants to talk the purpose of statues in a temple. His PhD was
on rituals through the evidence of statues.
He extensively studied the statues from the Cachette at
Karnak. These were found under the court in front of the 7th pylon. They
were discovered between 1903 and 1905 by Georges
Legrain working under the supervision of Gaston Maspero,
and represent the largest find of statuary ever made in Egypt and perhaps
anywhere in the world. Some 20,000 artefacts were found including nearly 1000
statues with over half were private statues from the 1 millennium BC. The rest
included 17,000 bronzes, wooden statues, offering tables, stele.
These statues are densely inscribed non-royal hard stone
statues from 25th to early Ptolemaic period. There is an online
website http://www.ifao.egnet.net/bases/cachette
which means anyone can look at the statues and Campbell said it was a model of
how to present a museum catalogue.
The Cachette location is the centre of the Karnak complex
and this may be significant. Due to the high water table it was described as
fishing for status and context was lost, some wooden status did not survive. In
fact they had to stop for safety reasons and it may well be there is just as
much again to be found. (At another lecture I attended there was some mention
that with the dewatering project perhaps it is worth having another go?)
Bernard V. Bothmer studied these statues and a 1930’s label
describes the inscriptions as non-interesting!! In fact the inscriptions are
very interesting and inform us about two things.
·
Family tree and genealogy information similar to
that found at Deir el Medina
·
Historical Art. The stylistic analysis was very
subjective. With him saying he could recognise them in real life from their portraits.
This assumes realism rather than idealism about the portrait. (Would you show
yourself as fat and bald if this was going to be your eternal image)
Campbell thinks there is a third thing we can learn is how
the statues were used in the space, the conceptualism. Rosalie told us about
the space but without the statues we have an incomplete picture.
What was the motivation of having your statue in the temple
rather than in your tomb? It would seem this indicated a level of insecurity
about continued offerings at the tomb. By having your statue in the temple you
could ensure to receive the continued offerings that took place there. Your
statue would get food, drink, and incense, have processions got past, and hear
hymns. Some of the inscriptions support this idea “…one of his following..” “…united
with the god back against the wall …”
Offerings were present firstly to the god, then to the royal
ancestor, then the priest ate them. But private statues could get a small slice
of this action. The design of the statues often facilities this with large flat
surfaces on which offerings could be laid. However this could cause problems
and there are other inscriptions that beg people to dust and clean the statues
and remove waste offerings.
By being in the Cachette Court statues were in a key
position to still receive offerings even though they were buried.
On type of statue, Naophorous, where
the private individual is embracing the shrine of the god or the god himself.
This could ensure you got offerings, weren’t damages, and were kept clean. Status
of the individual with Osiris are more common than Amun.
Statues are distributed all over Karnak often by doorways or
entrances to chapels, places where you might be seen. Some were made by a son
to make his family divine, to live again. JE 36728 is an example of archaising
the art showing a family group. The inscription says “causing his wife to be
young eternally”.
Pediamenope TT33 was an antiquarian and he says “….recite in
order to make the monument complete” By having a range of statues of every
possible style you could encourage people to visit your statue because it was
so unusual. Another inscription said a gift of the king, was this copying an
older piece.
Healing statues, these had inscription on them that might
cure people. Water would be poured over them and then the water could be drunk
and it would magically have the ability to cure AND you could ensure offerings.
An interesting question was asked by Ray Johnson, what were Campbell’s
thought on the reason for the Cachette. Obviously another one of these subjects
with many views. Campbell thought it was a massive foundation offering.
Campbell has a blog https://egyptmanchester.wordpress.com/,
facebook and twitter
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