Mummy Portrait Of A Woman Analysis

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The Mummy Portrait of a Woman from Faiyum, Egypt (ca. 100-110 A.D.) and the Bust of a Roman Matron from Alexandria, Egypt (ca. 140-150 A.D.) both commemorate a female individual by realistically depicting them, and endowing them with a sense of nobility and virtue. However, each work conveys this sense of individuality through the employment of different mediums and techniques. The Mummy Portrait follows the Egyptian tradition of mummification that has been in place for over 3,000 years, while also adapting to Roman artistic practices of encaustic individualized portrait painting. The Bust of a Roman Matron, on the other hand, follows the Italian Roman tradition of stone working that has been in place for more than 100 years, which indicates …show more content…

Stone working was another popular artistic medium in the Roman Empire, which had found its inspiration from the Classical Greek masters. The Bust of a Matron follows in this Roman tradition of verism, which aimed at depicting the subjects as true to their natural appearance in a superrealistic style (Kleiner 242). It represents an example of the Roman artisans’ mastery of the human facial anatomy and the ability to manipulate the stone into a lifelike portrait. Although her expression is stoic and refined, the anatomy of her face does not appear hard like the limestone that she is made of. The matron’s face is life sized, similar to the Mummy Portrait, which makes it appear as though the viewer is looking at a real person. The bust could have been displayed in an atrium or sanctuary, which would have allowed her family members to pay their respects to her and perform the necessary rituals. As opposed to the Mummy Portrait, this bust is a work that would have been accessible after her death––a public object for commemoration. Her nose has been broken off at the top and her left shoulder is missing. Since the object would have circulated in the public sphere, the bust would be subjected to more …show more content…

Both the Mummy Portrait and the Bust of a Matron commemorate the individual through their truthful appearance using different artistic mediums and practices. Both objects, coming from Egypt, present this fluidity in and a multitude of styles that was circulating in the Roman Empire. On one hand, the Mummy Portrait of a Woman combines Ancient Egyptian burial practices with modern Roman encaustic panel portraiture. While the Mummy Portrait would have been an object that would no longer be visible after the woman’s burial, the portrait pays homage to her by giving an identity to her mummified corpse and preserving her in this vivid image. On the other hand, the Bust of a Matron follows closely with versitic Roman sculptural portraiture practices, showing the artist’s ability to render a realistic portrait that communicates her virtue to the viewer. The bust would have been a public object, accessible to her descendants to commemorate her contributions to the family. The artist portrays her biography through the signs of aging present on her face, implying that she was a public servant who contributed to the society of her

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