Besides the composite view, Egyptian artists kept figures in fixed proportions. To do so they drew on a grid of squares.
Key idea
Artists drew figures on a grid: a standing figure was 18 squares from the soles to the hairline. A later grid, from the 25th and 26th Dynasties, used 21 squares from the soles to the upper eyelid.
Why it works
A grid keeps proportions the same at any size. If a figure is 18 squares tall, it has the same shape whether each square is 1 cm or 10 cm. An artist could draw a small sketch on a grid and copy it square by square onto a large grid on a wall. Many hands could work on one tomb, and the figures would still match. In the Old Kingdom artists used a few guide lines at set heights; full square grids appear in the Middle Kingdom.
| Classic grid | Later grid | |
|---|---|---|
| Used from | the Middle Kingdom | the 25th–26th Dynasties |
| Standing figure | 18 squares, soles to hairline | 21 squares, soles to upper eyelid |
| Seated figure | about 14 squares to hairline | smaller squares, same idea |
How we know
Unfinished tombs and drawing boards still show the red grid lines under the figures, sometimes with the artist’s first sketch and the corrections in black.
Worked example: Height on the wall
A standing figure is drawn on the classic grid with squares 4 cm wide. How tall is it from the soles to the hairline?
- The figure is 18 squares tall.
- 18 × 4 = 72 cm.
Answer: 72 cm.
Worked example: Finding the square
A standing figure measures 90 cm from the soles to the hairline on the classic grid. How wide is each square?
- The figure spans 18 squares.
- 90 ÷ 18 = 5 cm.
Answer: 5 cm.
Worked example: Scaling up
A sketch on 2 cm squares is copied onto a wall grid of 8 cm squares. How many times bigger is the copy?
- The copy keeps the same number of squares.
- Each square is 8 ÷ 2 = 4 times wider.
- So the copy is 4 times as tall.
Answer: 4 times.
Common mistake
Thinking the grid was invented by modern scholars. Grid lines survive on unfinished ancient walls. Quick check: look for the red lines in photos of unfinished tombs.