. A history of art in ancient Egypt . eir desire to weld together the present with the past, and tocollect into their capital such national monuments as might appeal to the imagina-tions of their subjects, the Sait jirinces may have transported such a curiously shapedsarcophagus either from the pyramid of Mycerinus or from some small pyramid inits neighbourhood. 3o8 A History of Art in Ancient Egypt. absolutely necessary that the tomb should be a constructed oneupon the surface of this soil. It would seem that the pyramidwould have been the best form of tomb to ensure the continuedexistence of
. A history of art in ancient Egypt . eir desire to weld together the present with the past, and tocollect into their capital such national monuments as might appeal to the imagina-tions of their subjects, the Sait jirinces may have transported such a curiously shapedsarcophagus either from the pyramid of Mycerinus or from some small pyramid inits neighbourhood. 3o8 A History of Art in Ancient Egypt. absolutely necessary that the tomb should be a constructed oneupon the surface of this soil. It would seem that the pyramidwould have been the best form of tomb to ensure the continuedexistence of the mummy, but, to say nothing of the difficulty offinding a satisfactory foundation for such a structure upon a softand yielding soil, the pyramid had, for many ages, been completelyout of fashion. Egyptian art was entirely occupied with richerand more varied forms, forms which admitted of the play of lightand shade, and of al| the splendour of carved and painted decora-tion. The pyramid being rejected, no type remained but that of. Fjg. 198.—Sepulchral chamber of an Apis bull ; from Mariette. a building which should inclose both mummy chamber andfunerary chapel under one roof, or, at least, within one boundingwall. There was also, it is true, the Abydos type of sepulchre,with its mummy chamber hidden in the thickness of its base;but it was too heavy and too plain, it was too nearly related to thepyramid, and it did not lend itself readily to those brilliantcompositions which distinguish the last renascence of Egyptianart. But the hypostyle hall, the fairest creation of the nationalgenius, was thoroughly fitted to be the medium of such picturesqueconceptions as were then required, and it was adopted as the The Tomb under the New Empire. 309 nucleus of the tombs at Sais. A hall divided, perhaps, into threeaisles by tall shafts covered with figures and inscriptions, affordeda meeting-place and a place of worship for the living. Themummy chamber was replaced by a niche, placed
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