Egyptian sculpture

METHODS OF THE ARTIST 9

here and there can we see, in certain little groups and figures, that, had the restraining hand of the priest been withdrawn, Egyptian art might have blossomed as did the Greek. But the religious ban was never lifted, and the Egyptian artist continued the primitive conventions until the Moslem conquest effectually ended the representation of the human figure.

But the very shackles which bound the artist became a means of developing his sense of decoration. Within his restricted limits he developed a feeling for line and for composition which was never surpassed. In relief sculpture he could give free play to the desire to express movement which was denied to him in a statue. The very difficulties which beset him made his triumph more complete. The long processions of men and animals gave him the opportunity of infinite variations on one theme. The fights of the boatmen, the incidenta of hunting, show his capacity to depict the human figure in action.

The object of relief sculpture, like the statuary, is architectural in origin. The Greek used it sparingly, and placed it high up on his buildings, for purely decorative effect, and in non-structural parts; but the Egyptian covered the entire wall, for religious purposes only. Therefore, it can be seen that the ideal of the Greek is different from the Egyptian, and it is impossible to make a comparison between the two.

In order to cover the whole expanse of wall in a tombchapel, the Egyptian artist first divided the space into registers by horizontal lines of irregular length (see p. 10). Only the lowest register extended the whole length of the wall; the rest were so spaced as to make a variation, and are often diversified by vertical lines of inscription. A favourite device for breaking the monotony of the horizontal registers was to place a figure of the owner of the tomb at