All over the world, iconography acts as a large part of art because it conveys a belief of the artist. The Palette of King Narmer is one instance of a piece of artwork that carries a lot of symbols. It is a greywacke palette from Predynastic Egypt. Historians estimate that it was made sometime between 3000 to 2920 BCE. Palettes were typically used for mixing makeup. However, this specific palette was for ceremonial and artistic purposes. The palette is double-sided with a lot being shown on both sides. The artist used low relief carvings and registers to separate different scenes.
One of the icons used is the depiction of a falcon with a human hand next to a large man that takes up a majority of that side. That man is assumed to be King Narmer, the king of upper Egypt and the falcon is supposed to symbolize the Egyptian sky god, Horus. Horus’ human hand is holding a thin rope that is connected to another man’s mouth. The man that Horus is standing on is believed to be the King of Lower Egypt because his backside depicts a marsh. Lower Egypt was known to be a former marshland. Horus was one of Egypt’s major gods that citizens often worshiped. By carving this, the artist means to say that the gods, specifically Horus, helped King Narmer take over Lower Egypt. This acts as a piece of propaganda to influence the observer into thinking that the unification of Egypt was a good decision made by the gods.
Yet another icon displayed in the Palette of King Narmer is at the top between the two curves. A catfish and a chisel are enclosed by a square. The catfish and chisel are meant to represent King Narmer because Narmer’s name directly translates to “chisel-fish.” The square around the two is supposed to symbolize the royal palace because of King Narmer’s final role as the king of all of Egypt. It sits at the top and middle of the palette to show his high position that affects the rest of the empire. It creates a sense of hierarchy that the Egyptians should follow.
The Palette of King Narmer is a piece of artwork that uses a lot of iconography to convey a specific message.
Comments