Notes on Art History
Note: This statue of an Ancient Egyptian woman clearly shows the way of dressing in Ancient Egypt. This statue belongs to the New Kingdome period.
Body: The woman is wearing a kalasiris, a typical ancient Egyptian dress. The length of the dress tells us that this woman probably belonged to the upper class, as working woman mostly wore a kalasiris in a shorter variant. The dress is made of linen, which was perfect for Egypt’s hot climate. The dress is undecorated, but does have a lot of pleats going in various directions, which must have been very labour intensive.
Head: The woman is wearing a wig, made of human hair or date palm fibres. The hair is curled and was kept together by wax. The wigs were only worn by wealthy people.
Accessories: Jewellery was very popular in Ancient Egypt, no matter what you social status was. They were known for wearing lots of jewellery in turquoise metals like gold and silver and small beads. This woman is wearing a gorgerine, which was a typical Egyptian necklace, existing of metal discs, worn on the chest.
Minoan Snake Goddess figurine, 1600 BC, Herraklion Archaeological Museum Note: This is one of a series of figurines, showing a woman holding a snake in each hand. It was found during excavation of Minoan archaeological sites in Crete. It represents a goddess. Little is known about their identity, but it tells us a lot of the way the Minoan women dressed themselves. Body: The goddess is wearing a tight bodice, which leaves the breasts bare. She also wears a long skirt which is comprised of seven overlapping flounces, which are strips of cloth, gathered and sewed on by its upper edge only. The flounces appear to be thick and were probably made of wool, a popular fabric used by the Minoan. Over the hips, she wears a double-apron, which is bordered with stripes and patterned with a simple diagonal grid of lines The skirt and apron are secured by a belt , which emphasizes the figure’s wasp-waist and
Body: The woman is wearing a kalasiris, a typical ancient Egyptian dress. The length of the dress tells us that this woman probably belonged to the upper class, as working woman mostly wore a kalasiris in a shorter variant. The dress is made of linen, which was perfect for Egypt’s hot climate. The dress is undecorated, but does have a lot of pleats going in various directions, which must have been very labour intensive.
Head: The woman is wearing a wig, made of human hair or date palm fibres. The hair is curled and was kept together by wax. The wigs were only worn by wealthy people.
Accessories: Jewellery was very popular in Ancient Egypt, no matter what you social status was. They were known for wearing lots of jewellery in turquoise metals like gold and silver and small beads. This woman is wearing a gorgerine, which was a typical Egyptian necklace, existing of metal discs, worn on the chest.
Minoan Snake Goddess figurine, 1600 BC, Herraklion Archaeological Museum Note: This is one of a series of figurines, showing a woman holding a snake in each hand. It was found during excavation of Minoan archaeological sites in Crete. It represents a goddess. Little is known about their identity, but it tells us a lot of the way the Minoan women dressed themselves. Body: The goddess is wearing a tight bodice, which leaves the breasts bare. She also wears a long skirt which is comprised of seven overlapping flounces, which are strips of cloth, gathered and sewed on by its upper edge only. The flounces appear to be thick and were probably made of wool, a popular fabric used by the Minoan. Over the hips, she wears a double-apron, which is bordered with stripes and patterned with a simple diagonal grid of lines The skirt and apron are secured by a belt , which emphasizes the figure’s wasp-waist and