Dominance without hierarchy: analysis of the triumph scene on King Den's tablet from the perspective of psychology of art

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Abstract

this article presents an interdisciplinary study of a unique artifact of ancient Egyptian art – the tablet of King Den (1st Dynasty) – through the lens of the psychology of visual perception. The central research problem is the paradox of identical scaling of the figures of the king and the defeated enemy while maintaining the effect of absolute dominance, which has no analogues in later Egyptian iconography. The methodological framework of the study combines Rudolf Arnheim’s structural-psychological analysis, embodied cognition theory, and semiotic approaches, enabling a shift from traditional iconographic interpretation to the study of the immanent mechanisms of how visual form influences viewer perception. The study identifies key formal techniques that ensure the psychological persuasiveness of the image: dynamic tension between the vertical vector of the king’s figure and the horizontal vector of the defeated enemy, the principles of pregnance and isolation, as well as the organization of poses and gestures that evoke kinesthetic empathy in the viewer. Special attention is paid to the functional context of the artifact (as part of royal sandals), which transforms the abstract composition into a physically experienced ritual of power assertion.

About the authors

Yu. S Reunov

Centre for Egyptological Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences

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