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How did ancient Egyptian artists show the human body in paintings and reliefs?

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Ancient Egyptian illustration from the Book of the Dead showing Anubis weighing the soul of the scribe Ani, with gods seated above and hieroglyphic text throughout. — Egyptian art and architecture Anubis weighing the soul of the scribe Ani, from the Egyptian Book of the Dead, c. 1275 bce.

Ancient Egyptian artists depicted the human body in paintings and reliefs using a highly structured system of graphic conventions designed to represent each part of the body from its most characteristic viewpoint, rather than from a single perspective.1

Standard Artistic Conventions

In this traditional style, the head was shown in profile, while the eye was depicted from the front. The shoulders were represented frontally, the torso was shown in a three-quarters view, and the legs were rendered in profile. Artists typically showed both hands and feet without distinguishing between left and right. To maintain consistent proportions, artists used a grid system—typically 18 rows of squares for a standing man—to guide the placement of bodily features. Relative size was used to indicate social importance, with figures like the king or tomb owner depicted as significantly larger than their wives, children, or officials.1

The Amarna Period

During the Amarna style period, these conventions were briefly altered to include more naturalistic details, such as visible neck wrinkles and distinguished toes. Figures were often portrayed with elongated skulls, thin necks, sloped shoulders, heavy paunches, and large hips and thighs.2