Page:A History of Art in Ancient Egypt Vol 2.djvu/162

 140 A History of Art in Ancient Egypt. one of the intercolumniations.'" At Luxor, on the other hand, the portico was brought to an abrupt termination against the sahent jambs of the doorway (Fig. 120). The Egyptian architect, Hke his Greek successor, made frequent use of the anta, that is, he gave a sahence to the extremities of his walls which strenethened his design and afforded structural Fin. 119. — Portico of the Temple of Khons, looking towards pronaos. members, akin to pilasters or quadrangular pillars, which were combined in various ways with columns and piers. Sometimes the anta is nothing but a slight prolongation of a wall beyond the point where it meets another (Fig. 121); sometimes it is the commencement of a returning wall which appears to have been broken off to give place to a row of columns (Fig. 122) ; a good instance of the latter arrangement is to be found on the facade ^^-^r Fig. 120.— Portico of first court at Luxor. of the temple at Gournah, Sometimes, as at Medinet-Abou, it is a reinforcement to the extremity of a wall, and serves to form a backing for colossal Osiride statues (Fig. 123), sometimes it gives ^ This is a mistake. By a reference to Fig. 208, Vol. I., or to Fig. 126 in this volume, it will be seen that the peristyle was not continued along the inner face of the pylon. — Ed.