Portraiture In Ancient Times

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During the ancient times many cultures and races viewed art as something important for their lifestyles and part of their culture. Portraiture was one of the often used forms of art that either represented someone who once lived or a god that they worshipped. These forms of art were really important for various reasons, whether it was for worship, remembrance of the person or god, remembrance of an important day, tomb markers, etc. Three examples of portraitures made during the ancient times are: ‘Victory Stele of Naram-sin’, ‘Hatshepsut with Offering Jars’, and ‘Khafre Enthroned’. Each of these three pieces of art played a big role on the lives of the owners because it depicted them in the way that they wanted to be depicted. They all differentiate …show more content…

Some of the similarities is that they all depict or represent someone and their all powerful rulers. Both “Hatshepsut with Offering Jars” and “Khafre Enthroned” were made during the same era, Ancient Egypt, only one was made in earlier times during that era. They both unlike the stele were made as free standing statues while the stele was a made into a relief illustration. After all, they were all made and served for an important purpose for the owners and the people at that time. Some of their differences includes what they were made out of, the time in which they were made, and their purpose. The stele is made out of pink sandstone, Hatshepsut’s statue was made with red granite, and Khafre’s statue was made with diorite. The material with what these pieces were made was chosen by the ruler for reasons like durability and expression of his or her wealth. The purpose of the piece ‘Victory Stele of Naram-Sin’ was made do illustrate Kind Naram-Sin’s victory and conquer of the mountain, ‘Hatshepsut with Offering Jars’ was made to honor the gods, and finally, ‘Khafre Enthroned’ which was made to just simply depict him as an enthroned divine ruler. Thanks to the many portraitures found from the ancient times, such as these three, we are allowed in this point of time to familiarize with what our ancestors believed and how it all evolved over