Ancient Egypt artists altered their work, study shows

By Juliette COLLEN

PARIS, July 12, 2023 (AFP) – From subtly shifting the position of Ramses II’s sceptre, to touch-ups on a necklace or headdress, ancient Egyptian artists were more creative than previously thought, according to a study published Wednesday.

Using new portable imaging and chemical analysis techniques, an international team of scientists took a fresh look at paintings in the Valley of the Kings — a royal burial ground for pharaohs and other ancient Egyptian elites.

This handout photograph released by the CEA ULiege on July 12, 2023 shows studio lights illuminating a mural of the tomb of Menna, in Sheikh Abd el Qurnah, near Luxor in Egypt, on January 8, 2018. In the portrait of Ramses II, the positions of the necklace and sceptre were subtly altered more than 3,000 years ago: scientific imaging has revealed hitherto unseen artistic retouching on ancient Egyptian works, a sign that the painters of the time knew how to break free from the rules of art. (Photo by Handout / CEA ULIEGE / AFP)

Egyptologists have until now considered art in these tombs to be very conventional, adhering to certain rules and using predefined patterns which were transferred onto walls.

However, a small robot moving in front of the painted walls used X-ray, ultraviolet, and infrared vision to “scrutinize” the art in-depth, much like a medical scanner, said Philippe Walter of the French centre for scientific research, CNRS, a co-author of the study published in the PLOS One journal.

On an image of Ramses II, decorating the tomb of the priest Nakhtamon, painted some 1,200 years BCE, the pharaoh is depicted in profile, wearing a necklace and headdress and holding a royal sceptre.

However image analysis revealed a different composition, hinting at efforts to touch up the original work.

“We didn’t expect to see such modifications of a supposedly very formal representation of a pharaoh,” meant to be frozen in time, said Walter.

Similar alterations were found on the tomb of the nobleman Menna, depicted with his arms stretched out towards the god of the dead, Osiris.

Analysis showed the position of one of the arms had been moved, while changes were made in the pigments used for skin colour.

This handout photograph released by the LAMS MAFTO CNRS on July 12, 2023 shows a detail of the adoring scene showing the arms of Menna in front of Osiris, in the tomb of Menna, in Sheikh Abd el Qurnah, near Luxor, in Egypt, on November 30, 2022. In the portrait of Ramses II, the positions of the necklace and sceptre were subtly altered more than 3,000 years ago: scientific imaging has revealed hitherto unseen artistic retouching on ancient Egyptian works, a sign that the painters of the time knew how to break free from the rules of art. (Photo by Handout / LAMS MAFTO CNRS / AFP)

It is unclear how many years passed between the alterations, or why they were carried out, but the scientists said it showed evidence of “freedom of creation.”

Walter compared this “personal touch” to that seen from “the great painters of the Renaissance,” who were shown to make adjustments to their work.

Philippe Martinez, the other co-author of the study with the CNRS, said that if this practice was shown to be commonplace, it would bring pharaonic art closer to our “modern aesthetic standards, nourished by Greco-Roman art”.