the hieroglyphics or Egyptian writings. We can scarcely say that
Egyptian painting is beautiful; but it certainly is very interesting.

[Illustration: FIG. 2.--KING RAMESSES II. AND HIS SONS STORMING A FORTRESS.
_From Abousimbel._]

The Egyptians had three kinds of painting: one on flat surfaces, a second
on bas-reliefs, or designs a little raised and then colored, and a third
on designs in _intaglio_, or hollowed out from the flat surface and the
colors applied to the figures thus cut out. They had no knowledge of what
we call perspective, that is, the art of representing a variety of objects
on one flat surface, and making them appear to be at different distances
from us--and you will see from the illustrations given here that their
drawing and their manner of expressing the meaning of what they painted
were very crude. As far as the pictorial effect is concerned, there is
very little difference between the three modes of Egyptian painting; their
general appearance is very nearly the same.

The Egyptian artist sacrificed everything to the one consideration of
telling his story clearly; the way in which he did this was sometimes very
amusing, such as the making one man twice as tall as another in order to
signify that he was of high position, such as a king or an officer of high
rank. When figures are represented as following each other, those that are
behind are frequently taller than those in front, and sometimes those that
are farthest back are ranged in rows, with the feet of one row entirely
above the heads of the others. This illustration of the storming of a fort
by a king and his sons will show you what I mean. The sons are intended to
be represented as following the father, and are in a row, one above the
other (Fig. 2).

For the representation of water, a strip of blue filled in with
perpendicular zigzag black lines was used. From these few facts you can
understand how unformed and awkward Egyptian pictures seem if we compare
them with the existing idea of what is beautiful. There appear to have
been certain fixed rules for the use of colors, and certain objects were
always painted in the colors prescribed for them. The background of a
picture was always of a single, solid color; Egyptian men were painted in
a reddish brown, and horses were of the same shade; women were generally
yellow, sometimes a lighter brown than the men; negroes were black, the
Asiatic races yellow, and but one instance is known of a