_The Art of Ancient Egypt_ is, in a word, magnificent. In the foreward, Robins writes that her primary aim is to explore the reasons why art was so important to the ancient Egyptians. She succeeds brilliantly. There are over 300 images in the book - most of them color photographs - showing the stylistic changes in Egyptian art from the early dynastic period through the Ptolemies. While the vast majority of the art is for royality, in each period of Egyptian history Robins includes a close consideration of "non-royal monuments." And while art is the primary focus of the book, a good third of her attention is directed towards architecture as well. I cannot think of anything more that I would want or expect on the topic.
With this ringing endorsement, a few details that Robins brought to my attention that I had never considered or realized. The first (and most significant) is that Egyptian art *does* change and evolve over time. Certainly there are consistent themes and forms in the art, the changes subtle and nuanced, but the joy (and interest) of studying this is finding and explaining these differences. For example, following the end of the Old Kingdom (2134 BCE), provincial rulers in Upper Egypt didn't have access to the skilled artisans in Memphis (the cultural center of ancient Egypt), and therefore had to use whatever local talent they had. As a result, Upper Egyptian art from the First Intermediate Period (2134 - 2040 BCE) has its own unique style: large eyes, a high, small back, and a lack of musculature in male figures. WIth the reunification of Egypt during the Middle Kingdom (2040 BCE - 1640 BCE), there is a deliberate return to Old Kingdom styles, a signal of political centralization and an underscoring of the connection between the 11th dynasty kings and the Old Kingdom 6th dynasty.
Another detail that I had seen (but had been wholly unaware of) was the proportions the Egyptians used, and how the relationship of these proportions changed over time. For example, in the 12th dynasty (1991 - 1793 BCE), there were 18 "squares" between the sole of a figure's feet and the crown of the head. These proportions changed between the 13th and 17th dynasties (1793 - 1150 BCE) and again with the 18th dynasty (1550 - 1307 BCE) - most noticably during the reign of the "heretic king" Amunhotep IV / Alhenaten (when not only the proportions changed, but so too the number of sqaures increased to accomodate for the longer neck and face.)
Robins' writing style is academic without being pretentious -the way in which she seamlessly synthesizes the broader themes of Egyptian society with the major historical events of ancient Egypt while connecting them to the trends and changes in art is another strength of the book. She does this so well, readers are likely not to notice; to pull this off seeminlgy so effortlessly is not easy, and is testament to her skill as a writer and her mastery of the subject.
For those interested in art history, I imagine this would be a "must-have" text, as well as those with a strong interest (like me) in ancient Egypt. Highly recommended.
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