Artemidorus
Title
Artemidorus
Date
AD 100-120, Trajanic
Artist or Workshop
Unknown
Materials
Linen, Plaster, Gold Leaf, Paint, Limewood.
Height of the work
171 cm
Provenience
Hawara, Egypt
Current Location
The British Museum of London, England
Description and Significance
Description
The Artemidorus is a mummy wrapped fully, plastered, and painted. Along with the paint there is also use of gold leaf for designs throughout. The portrait depicts Artemidorus wearing a white mantle and tunic. He is a thin man with a long face and neck. Along with this you can also notice that he has a very long and narrow nose. Full head of hair that falls across his forehead in individual locks that have the appearance of “commas.” He has black hair and brown eyes, with arching eyebrows over them. His eyes are wide and large. If you look closely you can tell that his irises are slightly uneven giving him a somewhat cross-eyed look. There is also indication of bags underneath the eyes. You can also see that he has a slight smile and pucker to his lips. Along with this, there is a small patch of hair right below his lip, almost like a goatee, but higher up. He is a tan man with smooth skin. He is also depicted wearing an Isis wreath on top of his head. There is also an inscription underneath the painting that says “Farewell, Artemidorus,” spelled in Greek letters. Underneath the portrait there are depictions of Egyptian funerary scenes, overlaid with golden leafs. The bottom is also coated in red-painted plaster.
Significance
The mummy looks like this because the human body is wrapped entirely by linen, until it reaches this stage. Then the portrait is painted on to represent how the person looked like when they were alive. He is shown as a thin man but not sickly, showing that he was probably a relatively fit individual. His nose and skin tone are indications that this painting is more likely to be a realistic representation of the individual. Despite it being realistic, he still seems somewhat idealized through his smooth and even skin. However, this could also be attributed to his age. The smooth skin depicts him as a young man, most likely in his early 20’s. The shape of his individual locks of hair resemble commas, which is very Julio-Claudian. His clothes also represent who he was in his life. The showing of the white mantle would have us believe he is fully clothed in his mantle and tunic. Those represented in clothes like this were typically intelligent people, rather than those depicted in the nude. People depicted in the nude were usually representative of heroism and strength. The Isis wreath is also indicative of knowledge, through its connection to the cult of Isis. The cult of Isis was a religious sect that gave Christianity a run for its money. Another aspect of the painting that supports its veristic nature is Artemidorus’ skin tone. This is because the tone of his skin is darker than we typically see with Egyptian art. The unevenness of his irises can also be a veristic choice, or can be attributed to simple human error. Finally, one last aspect to add to the veristic nature of the portrait is the small patch of hair underneath his lip. During this century we typically saw facial hair as full beards.
The Artemidorus is a mummy wrapped fully, plastered, and painted. Along with the paint there is also use of gold leaf for designs throughout. The portrait depicts Artemidorus wearing a white mantle and tunic. He is a thin man with a long face and neck. Along with this you can also notice that he has a very long and narrow nose. Full head of hair that falls across his forehead in individual locks that have the appearance of “commas.” He has black hair and brown eyes, with arching eyebrows over them. His eyes are wide and large. If you look closely you can tell that his irises are slightly uneven giving him a somewhat cross-eyed look. There is also indication of bags underneath the eyes. You can also see that he has a slight smile and pucker to his lips. Along with this, there is a small patch of hair right below his lip, almost like a goatee, but higher up. He is a tan man with smooth skin. He is also depicted wearing an Isis wreath on top of his head. There is also an inscription underneath the painting that says “Farewell, Artemidorus,” spelled in Greek letters. Underneath the portrait there are depictions of Egyptian funerary scenes, overlaid with golden leafs. The bottom is also coated in red-painted plaster.
Significance
The mummy looks like this because the human body is wrapped entirely by linen, until it reaches this stage. Then the portrait is painted on to represent how the person looked like when they were alive. He is shown as a thin man but not sickly, showing that he was probably a relatively fit individual. His nose and skin tone are indications that this painting is more likely to be a realistic representation of the individual. Despite it being realistic, he still seems somewhat idealized through his smooth and even skin. However, this could also be attributed to his age. The smooth skin depicts him as a young man, most likely in his early 20’s. The shape of his individual locks of hair resemble commas, which is very Julio-Claudian. His clothes also represent who he was in his life. The showing of the white mantle would have us believe he is fully clothed in his mantle and tunic. Those represented in clothes like this were typically intelligent people, rather than those depicted in the nude. People depicted in the nude were usually representative of heroism and strength. The Isis wreath is also indicative of knowledge, through its connection to the cult of Isis. The cult of Isis was a religious sect that gave Christianity a run for its money. Another aspect of the painting that supports its veristic nature is Artemidorus’ skin tone. This is because the tone of his skin is darker than we typically see with Egyptian art. The unevenness of his irises can also be a veristic choice, or can be attributed to simple human error. Finally, one last aspect to add to the veristic nature of the portrait is the small patch of hair underneath his lip. During this century we typically saw facial hair as full beards.
References
https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/u/0/asset/mummy-case-and-portrait-of-artemidorus/PwEEPjtssh_4JA
http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=172739&partId=1
http://digital.library.louisville.edu/cdm/ref/collection/vrc/id/1262
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2001/nov/24/art
http://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=172739&partId=1
http://digital.library.louisville.edu/cdm/ref/collection/vrc/id/1262
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2001/nov/24/art
Contributor
Soe Naing
Files
Citation
Unknown , “Artemidorus,” Digital Portrait "Basket" - ARTH488A "Ancient Mediterranean Portraiture", accessed December 20, 2024, http://classicalchopped.artinterp.org/omeka/items/show/49.
Item Relations
This item has no relations.