Egypt and the Sûdân; handbook for travellers . f Deirel-Bahri and Luxor and the temple of Sethos at Abydos). Genuineart-works, it is true, are but thinly sown in Egypt, and, owing tothe enormous mass of sculpture that has been preserved, it is per-haps more difficult in this than in any other branch of art for anyone but an expert to discriminate the good and artistically worthyfrom the inferior and mechanical; and the difficulty is increasedby the fact that even the best artists were unable to emancipatethemselves from certain traditional peculiarities of unbounded admirati
Egypt and the Sûdân; handbook for travellers . f Deirel-Bahri and Luxor and the temple of Sethos at Abydos). Genuineart-works, it is true, are but thinly sown in Egypt, and, owing tothe enormous mass of sculpture that has been preserved, it is per-haps more difficult in this than in any other branch of art for anyone but an expert to discriminate the good and artistically worthyfrom the inferior and mechanical; and the difficulty is increasedby the fact that even the best artists were unable to emancipatethemselves from certain traditional peculiarities of unbounded admiration is commanded by the wonderful skillwith which both artisan and artist could work the hardest stonewith comparatively primitive tools. This extraordinary technicalskill is apparent in all the productions of Egyptian sculpture. Butthe qualities that differentiate the genuine works of art from theothers are an admirable fidelity in portraiture and a charming sym-pathy with nature, which is specially apparent in the representa-tion of Sculplors at work (from an ancient Egyptian representation). Statues. We possess specimens of the art of even the EahliestPbkiod of Egyptian history in the shape of primitive figures of menand animals, mostly carved in bone or ivory, some of which (especiallyamong the animal figures) display a high degree of finish. Thestatues dating from the end of the 2nd Dyn. and the beginning ofthe Ancient Empire already possess all the merits of Egyptiansculpture, though they still show traces of archaic stiffness. Theyare mostly seated figures of moderate size, with a constrained ar-rangement of the limbs; the right hand usually rests on the breast,the left hand upon the thigh. When an inscription occurs it is usu-ally given in relief. But the facial features even in these primitiveworks are handled with a portrait-like firmness. In all Egyptian statues the head and trunk are carved with astrict regard to symmetry, the only freedom ever taken bein
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