The notices of the first Theban Empire are more numerous, and they
render it possible to study the history of statuary during the long
interval that separates the Heracleopolitan period from the domination
of the Shepherd Kings. For the XIth Dynasty, besides the wonderful
statue of Montouhotpou III, there are bas-reliefs or paintings found
at Gebeleîn in the ruins of a temple of Montouhotpou I. Afterwards, we
have, in the XIIth Dynasty itself, the seated statues of Sanouosrît
I, of Nofrît and of Amenemhaît III, the sphinx of Amenemhaît III that
Mariette declared to be the portrait of a Hyksôs king, an admirable
king’s head preserved in the Vienna Museum, and pieces of lesser
interest, among which a curious bas-relief of Sanouosrît I dancing
before the god Mînou at Coptos should be mentioned. For the XIIIth and
following Dynasties, I only see as yet the Sovkhotpou of the Louvre,
the barbarous head of Mît-Fares, and the Sovkemsaouf of Vienna, but we
must wait for the next parts before deciding to what point Bissing has
made use of the rich store of documents available for that period. The
second Theban Empire, so rich in souvenirs of all kinds, offered an
embarrassing choice: the Cairo Museum alone possesses material enough
for two or three volumes, especially since the fortunate excavations
conducted by Legrain at the _favissa_ of Karnak. The subjects in favour
of which Bissing decided have their special importance: they are each
the actual head of a pillar, the type of a series that he could, in
many cases, have reproduced almost entire, so well has chance served
us in the course of these last years. The statues of Amenôthes, of
Thoutmôsis, of the Ramses, of the Harmais are celebrated, and it is
unnecessary to enumerate them one after the other: the reader will
see them again with pleasure as he goes along, and will admire the
marvellous skill with which the photographer has reproduced them, and
the printer has responded to the photographer’s skill. The pictures of
the volume are often perfect, and plates like those of the head of one
of the sphinxes of Amenemhaît III are so successful that in looking at
them we have almost the sensation of the original. In a few, however,
the printing is too heavy and the thickness of the ink has distorted
and coarsened the modelling. As a general rule the larger number of
the defects I have noted are due to this tiresome question of inks. I
know too well from my own experience the difficulties caused by the
obstinacy of the workmen on that point, so I am able to make excuses
for both Bruckmann and Bissing.
II
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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