The canons
| For the ancient Egyptians the figurative productions have remained
constant in the years thanks to the canons they referred to, to be able to keep
in an absolute way the representation. The human figure had two main rules: one
for the painting and bas-relief and one for the statues. In the two-dimensional
image the man was always represented with a fixed style: some parts were seen
from the front (the bust and the eye) others were seen in profile (the limbs and
the face). To makes the image the Egyptians used a network, that is a weft of
lines that made a squared area. This network has changed, passing from an old
canon, that was 18 squares high, to a new one, with 22 squares. After they draw the network on the place where they had to represent the human figure, the canon established the rules. In the late canon, the foot was a square high, and 3,5 squares long. If they had to represent a still figure, the distance between the tips of the two feet was 4,5 squares, instead if it was moving this distance was of 10,5 squares. The bust was to be attached to the legs on the 12th line, while the neck was attached to the bust on the 19th line exc.. When all the rules to use the network were established, the proportion of the figure was automatic. The problems were different, when the human figure had to be represented by a statue. The first thing to do was resolve the balance of the statue. It was necessary, in fact, to prepare a supporting base very small compared to the height of the statue. The Egyptians resolved this problem using particular expedients. The figure was always in a certain position, that is with the legs slightly wide apart. So, putting a foot in front and the other behind, the two legs formed a triangle, that, besides widening the supporting base, helped the stability of the statue in the plain perpendicular to the body. To guaranty the stability also on the parallel plain, the body was represented in a perfectly symmetrical way, so to divide equally the weight according to the central line of the figure. Obviously the representation of sitting figures resolved many of these problems, because a much bigger supporting base could be used. Many Egyptian sculptures, moreover, were made with a kind of compromise between the round shapes and the bas-relief. That way, the mould of the figure, especially in the back parts, was never made, so many statues even if they had a complete appearance, kept the anchorage to an only block from which they were sculpted. Even in this case, this expedient increased a better compactness of the figure and a wider supporting base, useful for a better balance of the statue.
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