Portrait of a Woman
Antinoopolis
Roman Period, 130-161 C.E.
Encaustic on wood panel with gilt stucco
This portrait of an unknown woman was made when Egypt was part of the Roman Empire. It was meant to be placed over the face of a mummy. The portrait is arresting: her wide eyes, framed and emphasized by her heavy brows, stare out at the viewer as though she is alive today. The artist painted it using the encaustic technique. Mixing organic colors in hot beeswax, he applied the hot paint to a specially prepared wooden board. One Greek writer, the so-called Pseudo-Plutarch, appropriately commented: "A beautiful woman leaves in the heart of an indifferent man an image as fleeting as a painting on water. In the heart of a lover, this image is fixed with fire like an encaustic painting, which time can never erase."
Beautiful painting and it goes to show how much art has thrived through the ages.
The quote by the Greek writer is s strong and true.
miriam
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Thanks Miriam, I really liked the quote too. 🙂
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Loved seeing that portrait. It’s amazing how certain art pieces have survived through the centuries.
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Yes, it has held up well for being so old. 🙂
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A beautiful portrait and an amazing quote to describe it.
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Thank you Megha. 🙂
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There’s an article in National Geographic History about these paintings. The paintings are amazingly life-like
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I’ll look for the article, thanks. 🙂
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An amazing portrait
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It really is and well preserved for its age.
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