Prehistoric & egyptian era

HISTORY
OF
INTERIOR DESIGN - I

1

Ar. S.H.R.Jawahar Benazir
School of Architecture & Interior Design, SRM University

EARLY CLASSICAL PERIOD
• PREHISTORIC CAVE PAINTINGS
• PRIMITIVE DESIGNS
 INTERIORS DURING EGYPTIAN PERIOD
 INTERIORS DURING GREEK PERIOD
 INTERIORS DURING ROMAN PERIOD
 INTERIORS DURING GOTHIC PERIOD
 EARLY CHRISTIAN PERIOD
 RENAISSANCE PERIOD 2

History of Interior Design - I

PREHISTORIC

CAVE

PAINTINGS
3


ICE AGE – STONE AGE
• Earliest upright human beings came into existence 4.4 million years ago.
• Homo sapiens (“wise humans”) appeared about 200,000 years ago.
• Earliest humans from Africa.
• As the Ice Age glaciers receded, humans spread across Asia, into Europe, and
finally to Australia and the Americas

PRE-HISTORIC PERIODS
• Paleolithic - (35,000 – 8,000 BCE) Old Stone Age - Paleo = old / Lithic = stone
• Mesolithic - (8,000 – 4,000 BCE) Old Stone Age - Meso = middle / Lithic = stone
• Neolithic - (6,000 – 1500 BCE) New Stone Age Neo = new / Lithic = stone
• Bronze Age - (2300 - 1000 BCE) Bronze - alloy metal made from tin and copper. 4

• Iron Age - (1000 BCE - ) Iron – cutting tools and weapons made from iron or steel

Pre-historic Cave Paintings

C AVE P AI N T I N G S
• Cave paintings are paintings on cave walls
and ceilings, and the term is used especially
for those dating to prehistoric times.
• The earliest European cave paintings date to
Aurignacian, some 32,000 years ago.
• The purpose of the Paleolithic cave
paintings is not known.
• The evidence suggests that they were not
merely decorations of living areas, since the
caves in which they have been found do not
have signs of ongoing habitation.
• Also, they are often in areas of caves that
are not easily accessed.
• Some theories hold that they may have been 5
a way of communicating with others, while
other theories ascribe them a religious or
ceremonial purpose.

Well known cave paintings include those of:
• Grotte de Cussac, France
• Lascaux, France
• La Marche, in Lussac-les-Châteaux, France
• Chauvet Cave, near Vallon-Pont-d'Arc, France
• Cave of Niaux, France
Lascaux.-Room of the Bulls.
• Cave of Altamira, near Santillana del Mar, Cantabria, Spain
• Cueva de La Pasiega, Cuevas de El Castillo, Cantabria, Spain
• Cosquer Cave, Marseille, France
• Font-de-Gaume, in the Dordogne Valley in France .

Cosquer cave paintings

Chauvet Cave 6

paintings

Font de Gaume Cave Paintings

AGE
• Nearly 350 caves have now been
discovered in France and Spain that
contain art from prehistoric times.
• The oldest known cave art is that of
Chauvet in France, the paintings of
which may be 32,000 years old and
date back to 30,000 BCE (Upper
Paleolithic).
• Other examples may date as late as
the Early Bronze Age, but the well
known prolific and sophisticated style
from Lascaux and Altamira died out
about 10,000 years ago, coinciding
with the advent of the Neolithic period.
• Some caves continued to be painted in 7

for a long time.


THE MES
• The most common themes in cave paintings are large
wild animals, such as bison, horses, aurochs, and deer,
and tracings of human hands as well as abstract
patterns, called finger flutings.
• Drawings of humans were rare and are usually
schematic rather than the more naturalistic animal
subjects. spotted hyena painting found in
• One explanation for this may be that realistically the Chauvet Cave
painting the human form was "forbidden by a powerful
religious taboo.”
• Cave art may have begun in the Aurignacian period
(Hohle Fels, Germany), but reached its apogee in the
late Magdalenian (Lascaux, France).
• Many of the paintings were drawn with red and yellow
ochre, hematite, manganese oxide and charcoal. 8
• Sometimes the silhouette of the animal was incised in
the rock first. Cueva de las Manos (Spanish for
Cave of the Hands)in Argentina

CAVE PAINTINGS OF ALTIMIRA, SPAIN
• These were painted by the Magdalenian people
between 16,000-9,000 BC. This would have been
11,000-19,000 years ago.
• These paintings at Altimira are mainly of the bison.
• Many of the bison are drawn and then painted using
the boulders for the animal’s shoulders. This made
them look three-dimensional.
• These paintings are sometimes called “The Sistine
Chapel of Paleolithic Art”.

9


LASCAUX, FRANCE
• Known as "the prehistoric Sistine Chapel," the Lascaux
Caves, a cave complex in southwestern France, contain
some of the most remarkable paleolithic cave paintings in
the world, from at least 15,000 years ago.

• There are seven chambers in the Lascaux cave; the Great Hall of the Bulls,
the Painted Gallery, the Lateral Passage, the Chamber of Engravings, the
Main Gallery, the Chamber of Felines, and the Shaft of the Dead Man.
• The Hall of the Bulls is the most impressive. It is composed of horses, bulls,
and stags. Some of the animals have been painted over, suggesting that
different groups of people might have lived in this same cave.

• The painting in the Shaft of the Dead Man is unusual 10
because the human figure is not normally drawn.
• This scene shows the image of a man that appears
to have been killed by the bison.

CAVE PAINTINGS CHAUVET-PONT-D'ARC
• Chauvet-Pont-d'Arc cave in the South of France is
the newest cave painting to be discovered.
• There is a menagerie of animals on the walls of
these caves.
• Many of the animals like the ones in Lascaux were
painted over each other. The oldest were probably
painted around 30,000 BC, making them about
32000 years old.
• It appears to have been occupied by humans during
two distinct periods: the Aurignacian and the
Gravettian. Most of the artwork dates to the earlier,
Aurignacian, era (30,000 to 32,000 years ago). The
later Gravettian occupation, which occurred 25,000
to 27,000 years ago,
• The cave was probably occupied for nearly 10,000 11

years.
• It is thought that a violent collapse blocked the
natural entrance.

THEORIES ABOUT THE CAVE PAINTINGS
• Humans had not learned to write during the prehistoric time period. They communicated through
cave paintings.
• Why did man find a need to paint on the walls of the caves? We know that most of the paintings
were of animals.
• However, there are a few paintings that have human figures either in etchings or in a painting,
like the scene in Lascaux of the Dead Man.
• The face of the dead man is represented by a bird’s face, but it is the body of a human. Perhaps
they did not want to portray a human face, thinking that it might take the soul.
• There are three theories that the prehistoric man might have painted animals on the walls of the
caves.
• Perhaps the cave man wanted to decorate the cave and chose animals because they were
important to their existence.
• The second theory could have been that they considered this magic to help the hunters. Perhaps
if the artist could capture the image of the animal, they could capture the animal in a hunt.
• Prehistoric man could have used the painting of animals on the walls of caves to document their 12

hunting expeditions.

METHODS OF PAINTING
• Prehistoric people would have used natural
objects to paint the walls of the caves.
• To etch into the rock, they could have used
sharp tools or a spear.
• The paint or color that they probably used
was from berries, clay, soot, or charcoal.
• The tools used to apply the paint could
have been made by attaching straw,
leaves, moss, or hair to sticks.
• They might have used hollow bones or
reeds to spray the color on, similar to an
airbrush technique.

One of the bisons on the These portraits of
ceiling of Altamira in Spain, humans are 13
representing the final stage of engravings on stone
polychrome art in which four slabs at La Marche,
shades of colour are used. Vienne, France,

INTERIORS

DURING

EGYPTIAN PERIOD
14


Ancient Egypt was divided into two regions:
Upper and Lower Egypt
Note :
Lower (northern) Egypt
Upper Egypt is the
consisted of the Nile River's
Oldest Part Of Egypt
delta made by the river as
it empties into the
Upper Egypt was Mediterranean.
the long, narrow
strip of ancient
Egypt located south For much of Egypt‘s history
of the Delta. Lower Egypt (lower) was
thinly settled
15

Egyptian Period

Hieroglyphs -
Ancient Egyptian Writing

16

Egyptian Period

•In Predynastic times, Egypt was divided geographically and politically into
Upper Egypt (the southern, upstream part of the Nile Valley), which was
dry, rocky, and culturally rustic, and
Lower (northern) Egypt, which was opulent, urban, and populous.
•Probably because of its relative impermanence, painting was little used as a
medium of representation; it appears to have served principally as accessory
to sculpture. A rare example is the painting of geese from a tomb at Meidum.

The Early Dynastic Period saw the:

• Formation of cultural identity
• Stone Artifacts
• Mud minor arts - pottery, vases and bowls
• Brick architecture. 17

Egyptian Period

• The ancient Egyptians formed the first of the great classical civilizations.

• While most of Europe was still in the Stone Age, the Egyptians were building
palaces, studying mathematics and writing on papyrus.

• They were great builders and great artists, drawing the inspiration for their art
from nature.

• A complex social and religious structure was in place.

• The Egyptians kept books of accounts and recorded history; their children
played with carved wooden toys with moving parts.

• The presence of stools, chests, footrests, small cabinets, small tables, and 18

even vase stands, points to a fairly high level of organisation in living
arrangements.
Egyptian Period

MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE WORLD
• Quarrying, surveying and construction techniques that facilitated the building
of monumental pyramids, temples, and obelisks; made bricks.
• Irrigation systems and agricultural production techniques; harnessed animals
for work.
• The first known ships; used sails on the water.
• Used wheels on land.
• Trained donkeys to carry people.
• Combined copper and tin to make bronze; forged tools from copper.
• Developed hieroglyphics.
• The greatest architectural achievements of the Ancient Egyptians were the
pyramids.
• A system of mathematics
• A practical and effective system of medicine 19

• Egyptian faience and glass technology
• new forms of literature.
Egyptian Period

ANCIENT EGYPTIAN ART FORMS

1. Architecture - The style
developed during the Pre-
dynastic period remained
unchanged for 2000 years
2. Crafts & Sculpture - Symbolic
elements were widely used and
strict laws were applied
3. Paintings - The pictures found in
Egyptian tombs were connected
with the idea of afterlife.
20

The themes of Egyptian painting included protective Gods of the underworld and
man’s voyage through life after death.
Egyptian Period

THEMES OF ANCIENT EGYPTIAN ART
• Religion is its prime theme.
• The art of carving reached its first peak in 2600 B.C - Egyptian Art includes a
range of art forms like stone carving of large and small statues and wall art.
• Egyptian figures (human forms) tend to possess a certain regal presence which
glorifies the ruling case.
• Characterized by perfect observation and representation of life forms and
symbolism (esp. the use of symbols for Gods and Goddesses) with less weight age
to beautification.
• An important reason for the emphasis on vivid depiction of life forms is the
Egyptian belief in life after death and their expectation that the dead would bank on
their art for company in the “other world”.
• Mortar was not used. 21
• Work was planned such that the stones - made of sun-dried and kiln baked bricks,
granite, limestone or fine sandstone – fit exactly into one another like a jigsaw.

Egyptian Period

Watercolor copy of a wall painting from tomb 100 at Hierakonpolis, Egypt
ca. 3500-3200 BCE | Paint on plaster, approx. 16' 3 long.

• Found along the oldest tomb’s plaster walls;
• Contains presumed religious scenes and images that include figures from 22
Egyptian culture – like a Funerary scene ; (possibly) a goddess standing between
two upright lionesses; wheel of various horned quadrupeds; Asses or zebras,
ostriches, lionesses and cattle.
Egyptian Period

ST AT UE S F OR E T E R NIT Y
• In Egyptian tombs
statues fulfilled an
important function.
• Sculptures created
images of the deceased
to serve as abodes for
the ka should the
mummies be destroyed.
• The primary material
for funerary objects
was stone.
Khafre from Gizeh, Egypt 23

ca. 2,520-2,494 B.C.E.
Approx. 66 in. high
Egyptian Period

Goats Treading Seed and Cattle Fording a Canal - Saqqara, Egypt -
Mastaba of Ti - ca. 2450-2350 B.C.E. | painted limestone 24

Egyptian Period

Queen Nefertiti's tomb

Hieroglyphs often
decorated the
tombs of
important ancient
Egyptians.
Hieroglyphs and a
picture of her
playing chess
25

Egyptian Period

ANC IE NT E G Y P T IAN AR T
• Ancient Egyptian art refers to the style of painting, sculpture, crafts and
architecture developed by the civilization in the lower Nile Valley from 5000 BC to
300 BC.
• Ancient Egyptian art as expressed in painting and sculpture was both highly
stylized and symbolic.
• Much of the surviving art comes from tombs and monuments and thus there is an
emphasis on life after death and the preservation of knowledge of the past .

AR T ST Y L E
• Because of the highly religious nature of ancient Egyptian civilization, many of
the works of ancient Egypt depict gods, goddesses, and pharaohs, who were
also considered divine.
• Ancient Egyptian art is characterized by the idea of order. 28

• Clear and simple lines combined with simple shapes and flat areas of color helped
to create a sense of order and balance in the art of ancient Egypt.

• Ancient Egyptian artists used vertical and horizontal reference lines in order to
maintain the correct proportions in their work.
• Political & religious, as well as artistic order, was also maintained in Egyptian art.
SY M B OL ISM
• Symbolism also played an important role in establishing a sense of order.
• Symbolism, ranging from the pharaoh's regalia (symbolizing his power to maintain
order) to the individual symbols of Egyptian gods and goddesses, is omnipresent in
Egyptian art.
• Animals: Animals were usually also highly symbolic figures in Egyptian art.
• Colors: Colors were more expressive rather than natural: red skin implied
vigorous tanned youth, whereas yellow skin was used for women or middle-aged
men who worked indoors
• Blue or gold indicated divinity because of its unnatural appearance and association 29
with precious materials
• The use of black for royal figures expressed the fertility of the Nile from which
Egypt was born.
Egyptian Period

SC UL P T UR E

• Painted relief sculpture lined the walls of
pyramids.
• This is called a stele -A stele is a carved This stele shows Ramses II 30

upright stone slab used as a monument. slaying his enemies.

Egyptian Period

P AINT IN G
• Ancient Egyptians followed a
very strict set of rules in their
art. One of these rules was to
show the human body from the
most familiar or visible angle.
• Again, the figures appear to be
rigid and stylized. (the left foot
and body posture.)
• Artists used materials found in
the Nile river valley, namely –
Gold, Turquoise, Lapis Lazuli, Red 31

coral, Glass

Egyptian Period

Paintings tell us about the
daily lives of the ancient
Egyptians. The gods are
often depicted in the tomb
paintings

32

Egyptian Period

C R AF T S
Craftsmen made
furniture, jewelry,
pottery etc.,

33

Egyptian Period

P OT T E R Y
• Ancient Egyptians used carved small pieces of vases and
several other objects.
• They also discovered the art of covering pottery with enamel.
• Different types of pottery items were deposited in burial
chambers of the dead.
C ANOP IC J AR S
 1070-712 B.C.-Egyptian, Dynasty 21-22
 Limestone - height 48.3 cm (17 1/2-19 in.)
 Their internal organs were separately treated
and, during much of Egyptian history, placed in
jars of clay or stone.
 These so-called Canopic Jars were closed with stoppers fashioned in the shape 34

of four heads - human, baboon, falcon, and jackal - representing the four
protective spirits called the Four Sons of Horus.
Egyptian Period

OL D K ING D OM F UR NIT UR E
Furniture from this period was divided into two groups:
• Platform pieces such as benches, chairs, tables, beds, couches, and stools;, and
boxes such as chests and cupboards.
• There was some surface ornamentation in the form of gilding and carving
• Old Kingdom furniture relied on shape, line, proportion, and texture for its
decorative effect.
• Thrones and chairs featured carved lion-paw feet, beds were decorated with
animal skins and colorful mats,.
• There were stools, chests, footrests, small cabinets, small tables, and even vase
stands.
• Four legged stools with animal shaped legs and sturdy square seats made from
concave wood or woven or braided rushes were important items of the time.
• In the second half of the Old Kingdom, chairs with arms and backs began 35
appearing..
• Egyptian furniture designs of this age incorporated metal work and inlay, as well
as relief carving, and gilding.
Egyptian Period

M ID D L E K ING D OM F UR NIT UR E
• The Middle Kingdom was further development of earlier trends, with a marked
sophistication evident. Decorative effects such as inlay, paint, gilt, and veneer
became prominent. Popular design motifs included figures of sacred animals
such as cow heads, lion heads, and hippopotamuses.

NE W K ING D OM F UR NIT UR E
• The furniture produced during this period is on a luxurious scale, and is also
evidence of greater woodworking skill.
• In wealthy Egyptian homes chairs appear in greater abundance.
• Folding stools were richly painted in bright colors.
• Small, low tables were often woven from rush.
36

Egyptian Period

FUR NIT UR E
• PATRICIAN -Only the royal and wealthy
people used furniture.
• RANGE - stools, chairs ,tables , beds
and chests
• VISUAL IMPACT-Highly decorative with
graphic elements
• SYMBOLIC PRESENTATION - Used
symbols especially ceremonial as
inlays or painting on the furniture
• MATERIAL - Ebony wood was mostly
used , it was imported at great 37
expense.
• TECHNICAL- Excellent craftsmanship
and used plain butt joint
Egyptian Period

ST OOL S
• Stools were the most common items
of furniture in Egyptian homes
• It was the Egyptians who invented the
folding stool.
• Since these were much used by army
commanders in the field, they became
a status symbol, and were often
heavily carved and decorated.
• Stools commonly had woven rush
seats.

38

Egyptian Period

C HAIR S
• Gold sheathing, ivory inlays, intricate marquetry, inset jewels
and fine stones were used to decorate ancient furniture that
was often carved to represent animal forms.
• Chairs sometimes had feet in the shape of lion's paws or
crocodile feet; legs and feet were sometimes carved to
simulate the legs of a gazelle.
• High backed chairs
are seen in many
paintings. These were
supplemented with
cushions for comfort.
• commonly
39
incorporated carvings
of flowers, animals or
birds.
Egyptian Period

40
Golden Throne, Tomb
of Tutankhamun,
18th dynasty

Egyptian Period

41

Leg of a stool Leg of a chest or chair
Egyptian Period

B E D S, HE AD R E ST S
• They are among the most fascinating of furniture items
because of their structure.
• They were gently inclined so that the sleeper's head was
elevated, and had a footrest.
• A footboard ensured that the sleeper would
not slip off in the middle of the night.
• Almost all beds featured legs in the form of
animal legs, ranging from heavy bull’s legs
to gazelle-like forms with hooves, and the
feline type with paw and claw, frequently
identified as lion’s legs.“
• The mattress was usually made of wooden 42
slats, plaited string, or reeds, which then
held woolen cushions or some other soft
material. Sheets were made of linen.
Egyptian Period

T AB L E S
• Tables were also an important item of
Egyptian furniture.
• They were used for eating, writing and playing
games.
• They were usually low and easily moveable.
• In many cases, the tops were decorated with
marquetry or with inlaid ivory.
• Carved legs, gold sheathing and ivory inlays
were used to decorate table legs.

43

Egyptian Period

C HE ST S, B OX E S & C AB INE T S
• Chests, boxes and cabinets formed an important part
of Egyptian bedroom furnishings.
• These were highly decorated and were designed for
many different purposes: large chests for storing
household items and linen,
• small compartmentalized ones for storing cosmetics,
and miniature chests with sliding lids and drawers
made to hold jewelry.

44

Egyptian Period

M AT E R IAL S USE D
There were different types of materials used in EGYPT namely,
• COPPER: Until the New Kingdom most of the copper used in Egypt was seemingly
mined in the eastern desert or Sinai.
• GOLD: Egypt was richer in gold than any other country of the region.
• ELECTRUM: Electrum is a gold-silver alloy which occurred naturally. It had a silver
contents somewhat higher than twenty percent.
• SILVER: Egypt had little silver which was not part of gold deposits. Silver was
imported from western Asia.
• BRONZE: The introduction of bronze was a huge improvement in tool and weapon
manufacture. Unlike iron which was a difficult material to work with, bronze
technologies were similar to the techniques improved during the copper age: It
could be cast, hammered cold, improved its toughness.
45
• IRON: Iron is a very common element and in Egypt iron ores occur in the
mountainous areas of the eastern desert and Sinai.
• LEAD: Lead was of minor importance. Too soft for making tools or weapons
Egyptian Period

• Only the king and people
CHARACTERISTICS
with authority had a seat
to sit others just stood
around .
• Stools, footstools, chairs
and couches were more
common than other
pieces like tables.
• High couches were used
for dining and to sleep.
• The chairs were high
needing a footstool due to
height of chair 46
• The table and chairs legs combine symbolic feature with realistically carved
lion paws.
• They had folding stools with a cushion on it .
Egyptian Period

E G Y P T IAN HOUSE S
• There was a huge difference in living
standards between the rich and the
poor.
• Ancient Egyptian homes of the poor
consisted of a living room, a
sleeping room and a kitchen, with
perhaps one or two cellars for
storage.
• These were built with sun-dried
bricks, or reed matting smeared
with clay .
• The average house consisted of four rooms:
• A front room leading from the street, which 47

may have been used as a meeting place for
guests.
Egyptian Period

• A living room where the household
shrine was situated. The family
would worship their personal gods
or ancestors here.
• A living space, probably used as a
sleeping area, with a staircase to
a flat roof or upper floor.

• A kitchen at the rear of the house, which was open to
the sky to prevent the room from filling with smoke.
• Cellars underneath the rear rooms were used as
storage for foodstuffs.
• Houses were small so each room was multi-purpose.
48

Egyptian Period

• The houses of the elite, described as
mansions, followed a similar layout to
the small houses, although they
consisted of a number of small suites
of rooms joined by interlinking
corridors. These gave the elite owners
the privilege of separating the public
from the private family quarters.
Many mansions also contained
• An audience chamber in which to greet
visitors.
• An office in which to conduct business.
 A bathroom with built-in shower area and toilet (a horseshoe-shaped wooden seat 49
over a bowl of sand).
 Some homes had sunken baths open to the sky.

Egyptian Period

Prehistoric & egyptian era

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