Artwork
System adopted by the earliest Pyramid builders for setting out their work
System adopted by the earliest Pyramid builders for setting out their work is a watercolor work on paper by the Arts and Crafts movement artist H. E. Howard. It dates from 1891 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
This watercolour, titled 'System adopted by the earliest Pyramid builders for setting out their work', is one of several sketches on a single mount, created by H. E. Howard. The drawing is part of a collection of related studies and notes.
Subject & Meaning
The sketches depict various scenes and objects, including a pyramid corner with angular measurements, a desert landscape, a boat, pottery designs, and an architectural structure. Accompanying notes explore the possible methods used by ancient Egyptians to construct pyramids using ropes and lines.
Technique & Style
The watercolour sketches appear to be rapid studies, characterized by simplicity and precision. The use of red lines to mark angles in one of the drawings highlights the artist's attention to detail.
History & Provenance
The drawing is associated with excavations conducted at Meidum by Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie. The album containing this sketch was sold at Christie's on February 11, 1969.
Artist & collection
Artist
British artist H.E. Howard filled pocket sketchbooks with quick watercolours of Suez docks and stagecraft in the 1890s. Look at “Labourers carrying coal up a gangway to a ship at Port Said”, a gritty slice of Port Said…
Labourers carrying coal up a gangway to a ship at Port Said
Girgeh
Dance card, including view of Mt. Elias
A Mastabah or Dikkeh
Two rowing boats full of passengers at Port Said
The Mirab & the Minbar Gami Ibn Tooloon
Comic designs for dance programmes, including mock Egyptian hieroglyphs
Sketches of boats and jewellery
