Judgment before Osiris
...ndicate that the heart weighs less than the feather, and hence, Hunefer is led, by Horus (this time, to the highly decorated chamber of Osiris. There awaits Horus’ four sons (the protectors of the four major organs) and behind them, seated in all his glory, in an elaborate throne, the most prominent figure of the painting, Osiris. He wears the double crown, symbolizing the union between the North of Egypt and the South. Behind Osiris are two goddess, Isis and Nephthys. The last segment in this afterlife adventure is Hunefer’s acceptance and appearance in the eternal world. This upper register shows him bowing down to the “nine gods of Heliopolis,” Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Osiris, Isis, Seb, and Nephthys and the “five personifications of life-sustaining principles.” The painting illustrates progression in time and change in place. In order to sucessfully depict this, without confusion or misinterpretation, the artist utilized subtle partitions and groundlines, as well as figure direction change and scale differentiation. The beginning scene is in proper order, but quickly shifts to a smaller scale to show the grandeur of the scale and Anubis’ shrink down from the previous scene. The next segment uses a change in direction to show the beginning of a new narration. Thoth faces the left side of the painting and on his right, facing the right side of the painting, is Hunefer. Lastly, the upper register seems to float above the rest, but uses a groundline to indicate a new surface. The detailed symbolism in this painting accounts for not only aesthetic appeal, but mythological relevance and cultural respect.The Egyptian script, hierogyphics, along the top of the figures ‘heads serves not only as a possible narrative, but frames the figures and further distinguishes scene change. All of the monsters and deities are represented with accuracy and evern the bad ones don’t lose the living-world’s respect. It was clearly important to show all aspects of the underworld experience, as excluding something might be scene as sinful. Figures are made recognizable not by their perfect depiction, but by symbols that are easily spotted and comprehended. The color and form used in this painting is less of a creative expression and more of a cultural and evolutionary example of the canon of Egyptian drawing and readily available materials for col...