Chapter 9 Who’s on First? Reexamining Decorated Ware Vessels via Painting Practices

In: Rethinking Ancient Egypt
Author:
Sophia E. Kroft
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Type:
Chapter
Pages:
154–168
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004708402_010

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Abstract

Investigating the painting practices of Predynastic Decorated Ware (D-ware) vessels with human representations, produced between Naqada IIc–IId2 (c. 3450–3300 B.C.E.), offers a new understanding of the compositions and the Predynastic visual language. The painting process on D-ware vessels is deconstructed by looking at where two motifs overlap to determine which motif was painted first. The following article highlights six D-ware vessels, examined through detailed visual inspection and magnification, which show Predynastic painters first applied human figures onto the vessels before boat motifs. The findings reveal that painters were encoding differences between human figures via scaling and suggest a hierarchy of importance among the motifs painted on the vessels. The evidence also supports the interpretation that the compositions were pre-planned with scenes built around human figures and their performed activities.

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Rethinking Ancient Egypt

Studies in Honor of Ann Macy Roth

Series:  Harvard Egyptological Studies, Volume: 22
Cover Rethinking Ancient Egypt
E-Book ISBN:
9789004708402
Publisher:
Brill
Print Publication Date:
24 Sep 2024
Front Matter
Part 1 New Interpretations
Part 2 Rethinking Methodologies
Part 3 New Evidence
Back Matter

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