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Artwork: Portrait of a Woman Artist: Unknown Created: 3rd century Medium: Encaustic paint on wood Dimensions: 55 x 34 cm Location: Louvre, Paris, France ————————————————— “This sarcophagus portrait is from the Fayum region and was painted in the Greco-Roman period. The word “Fayum” refers to a very fertile region southwest of Cairo. It was centered around an artificial lake, Lake Qaroun, an ambitious engineering project dating from the twelfth dynasty, built in a natural valley. The people of the Fayum Valley came from Egypt, Greece, Syria, Libya, and other areas of the Roman Empire. They grew crops, including wheat and barley; the fish from the lake was considered a great delicacy throughout Egypt; and, under the rule of Amenemhat III (twelfth dynasty), the area became famed for lush gardens and abundant fruit trees. Today, the region is known for the number of papyrus unearthed during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as well as for the many “Fayum portraits” uncovered by archeologists. These life-size portraits were apparently used to decorate homes, as well as being employed for funerary purposes. The encaustic technique involved melting wax and mixing it with pigmentation and perhaps linseed oil or egg, then applying it like paint onto wood or linen. This painted portrait looks surprisingly modern. The woman’s clear eyes and prominent nose and the artist’s careful depiction of the jewelry suggest that this was painted to be a recognizable portrait. Art historians often credit the Fayum region with the birth of realistic portraiture and the many portraits uncovered in this region represent a time of groundbreaking artistic experimentation.” (LH) #1001beforeyoudiecollections #1001befireyoudiiecollection #1transcribedtext #webgalleryofvisualart #historyofart #arthistory #arthistorian #1001beforeyoudiecollection #1001andmore

A post shared by Constance-Lillyanne Essco (@1001before_you_die_collection) on Aug 13, 2020 at 12:29pm PDT