Images & Physical Evidence Flashcards
(61 cards)
Which culture invented the Fayum mummy portraits, and when we they being made?
Roman innovation, 1st-3rd c. CE
How many Fayum mummy portraits have been discovered?
Roughly 900 portraits
What are the 2 primary findspots for Fayum mummy portraits?
Mainly from Hawara and Antinoopolis
How were the Fayum mummy portraits made?
Two main techniques: encaustic (water based, bright colours, naturalistic) and tempera (chalky, animal fat in glue)
What percentage of Fayum mummy portraits are named?
3-5% of Fayum portraits are named
What are the two materials used in making mummy portraits and what are the key differences between them?
Linen portraits are much more fragile and less common than those on wood, require regulated and stable environment when on display. Wooden portraits were painted when the subject was young, and kept until they died, whereas linen portraits were painted at their death, and were therefore much more realistic and give us a better indication of the age of the subject when they died.
How did the Fayum mummy portraits develop stylistically?
Greek naturalism was adopted by Roman artists and transferred to Egypt both by the Ptolemies and the later Roman occupation, the Fayum portraits and other naturalistic mummy masks are indicators of the influx of Greco-Roman cultural markers into Egypt, such as art and funerary practices
What was Egyptian funerary art like pre-Romans?
Prior to Roman rule, Egyptian funerary art consisted of sarcophagi accompanied by sculptured portraits of the deceased in the form of a fitted cartonnage mask over the coffin; this was done in order to mould a physical replica of the dead that would not decay.
How did Egyptian funerary art change under the Romans?
Roman homes often hosted funerary busts of ancestors, and this would carry forward into Roman Egypt, where there is evidence for mummy portraits remaining in the home either before or after the individual’s death.
The shift to more naturalistic representations of the deceased is indicative of Graeco-Roman influence.
What is tempera?
Colour pigments in animal glue.
Tempera painting was an ancient technique utilised by native Egyptians; grew in prominence and was eventually preferred to encaustic in the Fayum
What was the encaustic technique?
Heat: used beeswax to lock in the pigments
What was cedar of Lebanon used for?
A rare import to Egypt, used by the elite for their funerary objects in the Pharaonic era
Common practice to reuse/recycle expensive materials (e.g. cedar of Lebanon)
What was lime wood used for and why?
Lime wood used for some portraits was a non-native import to Egypt and made up 69.4% of the mummy portraits as of May 2018: it was favoured for its quality and ready availability due to the long history of European distribution - despite having never been imported into Egypt prior to its usage in mummy portraits - and required less thick panels than imported oak or native fig wood, for example
What are the typical features of mummy portraits from Er-Rubayat?
Diagonal clipping of corners which allowed this portrait to be placed into the mummy shroud
Heavy use of pigment
What is a typical feature of mummy portraits from Hawara?
Curved top
Who was the Malibu Painter and how can we identify his work?
Attested at Hawara/Arsinoë around 100 CE and potentially belonged to a large school of 1st/2nd century painters; he was characterised by his near identical “pudgy” depictions of late Flavian women - identified by their hairstyle - and “distinctive” treatment of areas such as the nose and mouth
What were clavii?
Vertical stripes on the mantle may have represented Roman citizenship. Clavi might have been worn by wealthy peregrini too: clavate tunics may simply have represented those in Roman Egypt that could afford to wear them, potentially indicating non-slave status.
How could citizenship be achieved in Roman Egypt?
Roman or Alexandrian citizenship in Egypt could only be achieved if both parents were registered in the same category for the child to inherit this status
What other forms of citizenship - aside from Roman or Alexandrian - were there?
Other forms of citizenship included metropolite citizenship, which boys under 14 could apply for, and gymnasial membership which required several generations to qualify.
What common iconography might we find on Fayum mummy portraits?
Rose wreath - potentially crown of justification - these crowns conveyed the elevation of the deceased
What did earrings represent on Fayum mummy portraits?
Earrings acted as status markers and symbols of Roman influence throughout the Mediterranean, and the Fayum portraits reflect this with a high concentration of pearl and emerald gold earrings represented in the catalogue
Why might there be a difference in concentration between adult and child mummy portraits?
Portraits of youths and children were rarer than men (the majority) and women, potentially due to the fact that mummy portraits were painted long before death and kept in the home until needed, whereas premature deaths left little time to prepare such portraits
Name an example of a hairstyle found on mummy portraits:
‘Sidelock’ was commonly associated with children dedicated to the Isis cult and called a ‘Horus lock’ in the Roman period, but hearkened back to pharaonic Egypt as an emblem of indigenous religion.
This lock of hair may also have been a Greek tradition, as boys from Greek families in Egypt grew out this lock and removed it once they reached puberty in a dedication ceremony called mallokouria
What key status marker can be found on mummy portraits?
Wealth would indicate non-Egyptian status, as Graeco-Romans often held higher positions in society, such as administration, lawgiving, government etcetera
