Dance of the Scribes

 Thumbnail image

Grid structure

this is another of the 1/7 pictures .. dividing 1 by 7 gives the repeating ratio 142857
a grid of lines is created by sub dividing the canvas into
1 + 4 + 2 + 8 + 5 + 7 = total of 27 units
divide width or length by (1;5;7;15 or 20 )/27 to get grid lines
The grid lines were drawn from both left and right hand side. The 2 heads are placed such that the key features such as eyes and mouth are on as many of the lines or their intersection as possible ..
the limbs then follow the lines hence their odd structure falling between and bounded by them.
The picture is about writing and its importance in Egypt and its relationship to cosmology. The setting is the Small Temple of Aten see reconstruction on Akhenaten created the first recorded monotheisim (one god system) outing all the older pantheon This eventually didn't go down that well with his countrymen and maybe he sensed the possibility of this by creating a new palace complex at Amarna
reference :
http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~rgrosser/amarna/
The images of Thot (Djehuti) and Maat/Mayet (Muhaht)
reference :
http://www.ancient-egypt.org/index.html
seem to feature on contemporary image and papyrus (strange given monotheism) and they are shown dancing in the darkened forecourt of the Small Temple. Not so strange as they are alienated mysterious and dimly illuminated in the darkness which is how most of the population would have regarded reading and writing at this time ..
this prevailed until recent times (alfred king of england famously had to teach himself to read ) Incidentally there are feathers glued to the surface the Egyptians used ibis but these are magpie feathers ( 2 for joy ?????)

 

 

 

 

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