Glossary Sculpture, figurines and art
Egyptianizing
Also called: Egyptianising, Cypro-Egyptian style
Borrowing the look of Egyptian art (dress, poses, crowns and motifs) in objects made outside Egypt, often through Phoenician intermediaries.
In Cypriot studies the term is used most for a class of sixth-century BCE limestone votaries in an Egyptian-style pleated kilt, a broad collar and sometimes a double crown, from Golgoi, Idalion, Tamassos and Palaepaphos. Gjerstad called their style Cypro-Egyptian. They were once taken as proof of Egyptian rule under Amasis, but their models are older New Kingdom fashions that reached Cyprus through Phoenician art, and much of the class is now dated to the later sixth and early fifth centuries.
The label also covers Late Bronze Age seals cut with Egyptian designs, Hathor-headed capitals from Amathus and Vouni, and sphinxes. Scholars separate works that are Egyptianizing because they show Egyptian-derived gods from those that simply borrow Egyptian dress and pose. See Egypt.
Full entry: Egypt
Related terms
- Kilt
A knee-length wrapped skirt of Egyptian origin, pleated and often with a decorated front panel, worn by many Cypriot limestone votaries.
- Double crown
The Egyptian royal crown combining the white crown of Upper Egypt with the red crown of Lower Egypt, copied on some Cypriot statues.
- Sphinx
A mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head, usually winged in Cypriot and Near Eastern art, used as a guardian and royal emblem.
- Scarab
An amulet or seal carved in the shape of a dung beetle, sacred in Egypt, with a design or inscription cut into its flat underside.