Emma Brunner-Traut (Dec. 25, 1911, Frankfurt am Main - 18 Jan 2008, Tübingen) was a German Egyptologist, known for popularizing ancient Egyptian folk literature, for editing Heinrich Schäfer's Principles of Egyptian Art, and above all for her art historical concept of "aspective" (Aspektive). Aspective is the concept that Brunner-Traut developed to distinguish the characteristic classical Egyptian art style -- flat, non-dimensional -- from and in contrast to the "perspective" style of classical Greco-Roman and Renaissance style.
Biography Emma Traut was born in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1911."Emma Katharina Brunner-Traut", Deutsche Biographie (last visited June 27, 2026). An aspiring classical pianist, her interests turned toward Egyptology, and she published a dissertation on ancient Egyptian dance in 1937. She married fellow Egyptologist Hellmut Brunner, doing fieldwork in Egypt in 1937–1938, and then took a position at the University of Tübingen, where she was closely related to its Egyptological collection.
Traut-Brunner published her influential work on "Aspektive" initially in 1963 in Heinreich Schäfer's Principles of Egyptian Art.
Bibliography
(and numerous subsequent editions, through at least 8th edition 1989)
Brunner-Traut, Emma (1990). Frühformen des Erkennens: Aspektive im Alten Ägypten. Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt.
As editor / her work in English (1963 publication included her first publication of the work on 'aspective', which was subsequently translated into English)
References "Brunner-Traut, Emma Katharina.", Deutsche Biographie Obituary, ZÄS (Zeitschrift für Ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde) Gegengabe festschrift fur Emma Brunner-Traut, edited by Wolfgang Helck & Ingrid Gamer-Wallert, Attempto Verlag, Tübingen, 1992 Wolfgang Röllig, Obituary, Emma Brunner-Traut, Schwäbisches Tagblatt, Tübingen (2008). Ingrid Gamer-Wallert, "Emma Brunner-Traut (1911–2008)" (obituary), Zeitschrift für ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde, v.136, pp. 1iii-vi (2009), doi=10.1524/zaes.2009.0001 "Review: Principles of Egyptian Art by Heinrich Schäfer, ed. Emma Brunner-Traut, trans. John Baines", The Antiquaries Journal (1975) Jan Assmann, "Appreciation of Emma Brunner-Traut", Die Welt (2001) Wolfgang Röllig, "Obituary, Emma Brunner-Traut", Schwäbisches Tagblatt (2008)
Citations