Comparison of Two Paintings: Palette of Narmer and Battle of Issus.
Egyptian and Roman art has always been an influence on later classical art forms. The Palette of King Narmer and the Battle of Issus are two extraordinary art pieces that illustrate this influence. The Palette of King Narmer comes from Hierakonpolis in Egypt. It is part of the Predynastic period and dates back to 3000 B.C. Its subject matter is the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt that King Narmer succeeded to accomplish. The Battle of Issus is a mosaic texture art piece that was found in Pompeii. It was made by Philoxenos and it dates back to the Late Classical Period in Roman history, around the late second century. The subject of this great art piece is the major battle between Alexander the Great and the Persian king Darius III. In comparison and contrast, the Palette of King Narmer and the Battle of Issus have similar content and style where the figure stands out to be dominant. This similar content and style can be achieved through the observation of objects in the areas of composition, space, color, line, and the placement of the viewer. .
The Palette of King Narmer and the Battle of Issus depict similar content and style that shows the type of periods they originated in. The Palette of King Narmer is one of the earliest historical artworks preserved. It was the basis of art along the Nile that had a certain influence on future art works. The palette shows the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. King Narmer was the ruler of Upper Egypt, and in the palette is shown slaying the ruler of Lower Egypt. It represents a great deal of ferocity in the ruler. The palette, which has a type of shield shape, is decorated on both sides. The palette was not used as a shield, but as an eye makeup for protecting the eyes against irritation and the sun's glare. The eye makeup would be put in the circular part around the two elongated snakes.