Susie Hodge - The Art Puzzle Book

Susie Hodge & Dr Gareth Moore

In this book you will be taken on a journey through art history, from ancient Egypt to 1980s New York, via thirty-six iconic works of art. Read the introductions to find out about each piece and the artist who created it, looking for clues in the text along the way.

Youll then encounter a set of puzzles relating to the painting, each designed to encourage you to look at the artwork more closely. Entertaining, and all different, the puzzles will test your powers of observation and general knowledge: challenging you to hunt for things, interpret symbols, seek out colours and decipher cryptic clues.

Tackle the puzzles on your own or with friends, and in any order you like. Some are straightforward, but others will require more thought and closer scrutiny so that youll want to turn back the pages and discover things you may have missed.

Unknown artist

c.1285 BCE

Papyrus

British Museum, London, UK

Royal Scribe, Overseer of Royal Cattle and the steward of Pharaoh Seti I, Hunefer lived in Egypt in around 1310 BCE. In this section of the Papyrus of Hunefer, his richly illustrated copy of the Egyptian Book of the Dead, his soul is being judged to see if he is worthy enough to enter the afterlife. In part of this scroll, he kneels before a court of gods, explaining that he has lived a good life. Below, he is led by the jackal-headed god Anubis to the scales. Anubis weighs his heart against the Feather of Truth (from the goddess Maat), while the goddess Ammit, the Devourer of the Damned, waits. If Hunefers heart is heavy with sin, Ammit will eat it. To the right, ibis-headed Thoth, the god of wisdom, knowledge and writing, is ready to record the outcome of the weighing. Finally, Hunefer has passed the test and is led by the falcon-headed Horus to Osiris, who sits on his throne accompanied by the goddesses Isis and Nephthys.

Hieroglyphs the word derives from the Greek for 'sacred carving' were central to the Egyptian use of magic and were believed to have been created by the god Thoth.

In the Picture

The image on the right shows an ankh, the Egyptian symbol of life. How many ankhs can you count in the picture, ignoring any in the hieroglyphs?

There are a large number of eyes in the picture, but how many arent on characters with human faces or human legs? An item counts as an eye for the purpose of this question if there is clearly an outer eye and an inner pupil.

How many figures in the picture dont have human hands?

General Knowledge

These three questions can be all be solved by carefully observing the picture.

How many times is Anubis, the god of the dead, shown? What is he holding in each case?

The Devourer is a strange beast that can condemn a dead person to non-existence. It is shown in this picture, and is part-lion, part-hippopotamus and part what other animal?

Hunefer is shown three times in this picture. Can you identify where he appears?

Crucifixion

Altichiero da Verona (13301390)

c.137684

Fresco

Oratorio di San Giorgio, Padua, Italy

Assisted by the Bolognese painter Jacopo Avanzi (13501416), Altichiero created several frescoes in the Oratorio di San Giorgio in Padua, Italy. Using different scales and proportions to create his own form of perspective, here Altichiero also features some human qualities and gestures that Giotto (12671337), the influential Italian painter, had recently introduced. It is a busy scene, and Altichieros depictions of figures and animals, facial expressions, details such as the grain of the wood and angles of the crosses; soft, pale highlights and darker shadows conveying natural light; draping fabrics; realism; rhythm and harmony, were all original and sophisticated for the time. High on the cross, Jesus appears to accept his fate serenely, while below and around him, angels, friends, followers and his mother lament. Mary has fainted in grief and some of the soldiers appear to be beginning to wonder what they have done.

The earliest known depiction of the Crucifixion is a satirical representation of a donkey on a cross known as the Alexamenos graffito. It is thought to date back to c.200 CE and was most likely scratched in the plaster by a Roman mocking Christian worship.

In the Picture

How many haloes can you count?

How many miniature figures can you see in the sky?

How many times do the initials SPQR (or part of them) appear?

How many figures are looking at Mary?

Visual Matching

See if you can find these details in the painting:

General Knowledge

There are four written letters above the crucified Christ. What do those initials mean?

What do the initials SPQR stand for?

January, from Les Trs Riches Heures du Duc de Berry

Limbourg brothers (c.13851416)

c.141216

Gouache and gold leaf on vellum

Muse Cond, Chantilly, France

The most famous surviving example of French International Gothic manuscript illumination, this calendar page depicting January comes from a Book of Hours a personal prayer book commissioned by the extremely wealthy Duke of Berry. It was made by the highly skilled Dutch miniature painters, brothers Herman, Paul and Jean de Limbourg. Following a tradition of exchanging gifts to celebrate the New Year, here the Duke of Berry presides at a table laden with presents. He is dressed in bright and costly blue and gold, while the man in the grey cap leaning against the front of the table is possibly a self-portrait of Paul de Limbourg. The expensive cloth and lavish gifts convey the Dukes prosperity and taste, while around the image are heraldic motifs relating to him, such as the gold fleur-de-lis, which links him to France. At the top left of the picture is Januarys astrological sign, Capricorn, included because the agricultural calendar, and much of medieval medicine, were influenced by the phases of the moon and the astrological zodiac.