Hixenbaugh Ancient Art Presents: Egyptian Summer

NEW CITY, N.Y. - June 1, 2015 - PRLog -- Hixenbaugh Ancient Art is pleased to announce its latest gallery exhibition, “Egyptian Summer.”  The show provides a broad view into the majestic art of ancient Egypt from the Age of the Pyramids through the reign of Cleopatra.

Egypt has long been a source of fascination.  Even in antiquity, the Greeks and Romans marveled at the grand scale of ancient Egyptian monuments.  Much later, Napoleon was so struck by Egypt’s wonders that he had over 150 civilian scholars accompany him on his Egyptian expedition to document every aspect of Egypt.  The finds that they brought back ushered in a wave of Egyptomania in the west.  As curious Europeans embarked on the Grand Tour of ancient sites, many brought home souvenirs of their visits to Egypt.  These pieces form the core of many museums collections, while many other pieces remain in private hands.

Ancient Egyptian art was purposeful in its design.  Amulets were thought to provide magical and talismanic influences on individuals’ daily lives.  Statues served as embodiments of gods and goddesses whose divine influence was thought to permeate all aspects of the earthly realm.  Inscriptions were especially significant as the recitation of Hieroglyphic texts was believed to inspire physical manifestation of the words.  The Egyptians desperately wished to perpetuate their existence in the eternal Afterlife.  Many texts in the exhibition convey this notion.  Servant figures (shabtis) are inscribed with spells, so that they might continue to toil for their masters in the Afterlife.  Inscriptions on tomb walls and mummy sarcophagi iterate the social standing of individuals.  These words were believed to actually furnish offerings of sustenance for eternity.

The exhibition spans the length of ancient Egyptian civilization.  Included are Pre-Dynastic stone vessels, Old Kingdom limestone reliefs, Middle Kingdom wooden tomb figures, Second Intermediate Period scarabs, New Kingdom stone statues, Third Intermediate Period faience shabtis and Late Period mummy masks and bronze statuettes.  The exhibition also includes beautiful ancient Egyptian jewelry that can still be worn today.

The center piece of the “Egyptian Summer,” exhibition is a large limestone sunk relief from the side of a massive 26^th Dynasty sarcophagus belonging to an important individual named Wahibrenebah, son of Nakhtefbast.  The surface is covered with a litany of finely carved Hieroglyphic spells intended to preserve and rejuvenate the body of Wahibrenebah for all time.  Other fine relief work on view include a meticulously carved Old Kingdom relief fragment that invokes the, “Master of Secrets,” a sunk relief with the image of an Egyptian priest and a raised sandstone relief depicting an Ankh, the symbol of life.

Hixenbaugh Ancient Art’s exhibition “Egyptian Summer” opens June 4 and runs through August 1 (11am – 6pm, Tuesday – Saturday).  An opening reception will be held on June 4^th from 6pm to 8pm.  As always, a large collection of fine quality authentic antiquities can be viewed on the Hixenbaugh Ancient Art web site (www.hixenbaugh.net).