Throughout many centuries the artworks of ancient Egypt have intrigued many individuals. Early Greek and Roman artists were undoubtedly influenced by Egyptian techniques which ultimately inspired those cultures up to the present day. Today, many artists are influenced and are very well recognized by many, however, Egyptian artists created art for a very different reason. Egyptian art was different from other artifacts, their art was functional and created for a purpose where later art was intended for aesthetic and pleasure. Functional Egyptian art was made for the individual who commissioned it while art intended for pleasure even if it was commissioned, allows the artist to further express their vision and recognition of an individual artist. Hunefer’s Book of the Dead created in 1280 BCE is an intricate artifact engulfed with superfluous spells and symbolisms that indicate the pathway through the afterlife.
Hunefer’s Book of the Dead is first found in the early 1450 BC, written by expert scribes and decorated by master draftsmen. However, there is a reason to believe that “it was Hunefer himself who put brush to ink to inscribe his own papyrus”(Silverman, David.) Upon approach, from the left and above, Hunefer kneels in adoration before a company of individuals, who are named as Ra, Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Horus, Isis, Nephthys, Hu and Sia, and the Southern, Northern and Western roads (Hodge, Susie). Below, the jackal-headed Anubis leads Hunefer towards the balance of judgment, where Anubis is depicted again, kneeling to adjust the plumb-weight on the balance. On the left scale-pan is Hunefer's heart and on the right the feather hieroglyph which symbolizes Maat. Below the balance crouches Ammit, the “Devourer of the Damned”, accompanied by a short inscription which describes her: “Her front is a crocodile, her rear a hippopotamus, her middle a lion” (Hodge, Susie). To the right, Thoth, ibis-headed, holds a pen and scribal palette to record the outcome of the weighing. However, the original function of these images, whether it be statues or relief, they were designed to benefit a divine or deceased recipient. Statuary provided a place for the recipient to manifest and receive the benefit of ritual action (Hodge, Susie). Most statues show an arranged straight ahead because they were designed to face the ritual being performed before them. Many statues were also originally placed in recessed niches or other architectural settings contexts that would make frontality their expected and natural mode. Statuary, whether divine, royal, or elite, provided a kind of conduit for the spirit of that being to interact with the terrestrial realm. Divine cult statues were the subject of daily rituals of clothing, anointing, and perfuming with incense and were carried in processions for special festivals so that the people could "see" them (Silverman, David). Royal and elite statuary served as intermediaries between the people and the gods. Family chapels with the statuary of a deceased forefather could serve as a sort of a family temple so to speak. There were festivals in honor of the dead, where the family would come and eat in the chapel, offering food for the Afterlife, flowers symbolizing rebirth, and incense. Moreover, Egyptian art is consistently admired for its beauty and this is because of the value ancient Egyptians placed on symmetry. All Egyptian art served a practical purpose: a statue held the spirit of the god or the deceased; a tomb painting showed scenes from one's life on earth so one's spirit could remember it or scenes from the paradise one hoped to attain so one would know how to get there; charms and amulets protected one from harm; figurines warded off evil spirits and angry ghosts; hand mirrors, whip-handles, cosmetic cabinets all served practical purposes and ceramics were used for drinking, eating, and storage.
The Last Judgment is an important event in an Egyptians afterlife in that it determines how the afterlife will be spent. In this painting, Hunefer is being guided into the hall of judgment by Anubis, the jackal-headed god of embalming. The god leads Hunefer down the hall and to the first scene where Anubis places Hunefer’s heart on a balance to determine whether his actions on earth were moral and true enough to outweigh the feather of Maat, the goddess and protector of truth and everything right. If his heart does not outweigh the feather then the crocodile-headed god Ammit will devour it and Hunefer will be denied entrance into a positive and good afterlife. If it outweighs the feather then Hunefer will be judged true and he will be led to Horus (Osiris son), the falcon-headed god who will then lead Hunefer to Osiris the judge and god of the underworld. Hunefer's moral goodness on earth is portrayed by the scene in the top register of the painting in which he is presenting gifts and offerings to a line of sitting gods. The god Osiris is always portrayed as a mummy wrapped with white bandages with green skin. In this painting, Osiris is also with the goddesses Isis and Nephthys. They are said to be standing behind Osiris in a somewhat of a protective mode. Both Isis (Osiris wife) and Nephthys are providing protection and services to Osiris as he takes on the final role of passing the last judgment of Hunefer. Hunefer actually will pass through the veil of Isis to reach the domain of Osiris. Passing through the veil is a symbol of raising or opening of the veil of the material world, thus obtaining a state of true spiritual awareness concerning the mysteries of nature. Hunefer will walk through and meet Osiris before moving on into the afterlife or the Aaru (Norfleet 2009). Each god plays a particular role in the Last Judgment of Hunefer. Their parts are key in walking Hunefer through the phases of the judgment and ushering him into the afterlife. Their presence is of vital importance to the Egyptian people. Isis and Osiris are dominating themes throughout the ancient Egyptians religion. The worshipping of Osiris came about as a result of a legend portraying Osiris as a former pharaoh of Egypt. His ruling was a time of prosperity, however, his brother Seth was jealous and set out to kill Osiris. According to legend, Seth dumped Osiris body in the Nile where it said to have floated out into the Mediterranean Sea. It was Isis who located the dead body and brought it back to Egypt where she used magic to conceive of Osiris and gave birth to Horus. Seth discovered the body, cut it into pieces and got rid of it. Isis found the pieces and bandaged him up in mummy clothing. It was said that Osiris was then brought back to life and descended to the underworld where he became the new ruler. By New Kingdom times, virtually every deceased man or woman was entombed with observances honoring Osiris. The painting Last Judgment of Hunefer tells the story and emphasizes the importance of the Egyptians believed in the afterlife as well as reminding Egyptians of the importance of living a moral life of integrity and purity. Actions in the present determine where they will find themselves in the life to come. It is a masterpiece of Egyptian culture representing centuries of religious beliefs and culture.
To conclude, Hunefer’s Book of the Dead embodies numerous symbols intended not for admiration but rather for sanctuary and guidance for eternal life. Egyptian art such as this painting inevitably allows us to further understand the meaning of art and how it has shaped individuals and cultures around the world. Egyptian art has undoubtedly progressed and shaped many current artists upon creation of their own sculptures and paintings.