Dawn of Egyptian Art Diana Craig Patch

Egyptian art from the Pharaonic era is characterized by colossal sphinxes, elaborately decorated coffins, hieroglyphs, and beautifully modeled reliefs. Less well-known, but equally impressive, are the rare and ancient images of people, animals, and landscapes from the pre-Pharaonic era, the period that preceded and directly influenced these iconic forms of artistic expression.

With lavish illustrations of more than 170 fascinating objects created from about 4000 to 2650 BC, Dawn of Egyptian Art presents the origins of these art forms and iconography that remained in use for centuries. Comprehensive texts explore the origins and early development of the culture of ancient Egypt while discussing the representation of the self and the universe, the relationship between image and writing, and the early Egyptians' evolving view of how the world worked.

More about this title

• This catalogue accompanies the exhibition 'The Dawn of Egyptian Art' at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (April 10–August 5, 2012)
• Read an article about Dawn of Egyptian Art on Yale's blog

Diana Patch is associate curator in the Egyptian Art Department at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

"One of the most impressive publications on the early Egyptian art I have seen. Beautifully illustrated with over 180 photographs of objects from exhibition and with an eye-catching cover…looks and feels like a ‘coffee table’ book but the text is both readable and highly informative." Victor Blunden, Ancient Egypt

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