Sculpture workshops: who, where and for whom?

International audienceIn Egyptology and in Art History in general, certain terms are often used vaguely because they lack a clear definition. In the context of studies on sculpture, the term "workshop" is one of them. Giving a definition is not an easy task, but it is a necessary one especially since in the case of art the scholar's approach does not rely on scientific objectivity only, but also on perception, feeling and the "eye" of the art historian. While not all researchers might agree with the same definition, it is important to propose one for the terms employed. Several questions occur to the scholar who studies a corpus of artefacts or works of art. Where do the artisans work? How many people are involved? Do they specialise in a particular production or are they more versatile? In the case of sculptors, do they work in the quarries or in their proximity, or in studios connected to temples or palaces? Is a group of artisans sedentary or itinerant? Do sculptors all work for the king and the royal court or can we identify regional styles? Such questions arise when dealing with the corpus of the Late Middle Kingdom statuary. As this papers tries to demonstrate, it appears that different productions are identifiable based on three main factors: the material in which the statues are carved, the architectural context for which the statues are produced, and the clientèle to which they are destined. These three factors are closely intertwined and determine the types of sculpture that were realised.https://www.sidestone.com/books/the-arts-of-making-in-ancient-egyp