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• 1 2020-04-14T19:42:24-07:00 Travertine 11 plain 2020-04-15T11:47:33-07:00 Travertine, also known as Egyptian alabaster, is a form of limestone which largely consists of calcite and aragonite. Travertine was a popular material for use in both architectural features and  smaller-scale objects such as bowls, statuettes, and canopic jars like the one displayed here. The stone was locally sourced, with the best known quarries being near Amarna in Middle Egypt. These quarries were exploited by the Egyptians for almost 3000 years, seeing continuous use from the 4th Dynasty in the 3rd millennium BCE, all the way to the Roman period. A stone vessel like this canopic jar would have been of high value due to the sheer amount of work it may have taken an artisan to carve such a piece, especially when compared to the relatively quick and cheap production of clay vessels.
   
• 1 2020-04-14T19:58:28-07:00 Limestone 4 plain 2020-04-15T11:41:32-07:00
  Limestone is a sedimentary rock, defined by high levels of calcite, which is notable for its easy workability and relative softness. The ease with which limestone could be worked made it ideal for sculpture, in fact, limestone is likely the first stone used for sculpture within Egypt. Limestone is relatively common throughout Egypt, making it easy to acquire for architectural or artistic purposes. Despite its ubiquity, varieties of limestone, such as Tura limestone, were prized across Egypt for their durability and color. Limestone remained a popular building material throughout Egyptian history, becoming the chief building stone of Lower Egypt. Limestone was also a common sculptural material in Egypt, as demonstrated by this bust. In order to work with limestone as a sculptor, one would start their work from a plaster bust or mask of the figure, and draw the figure’s shape on a block of limestone, sculpting along the contours they drew.