In comparison to this celebration of the terrestrial existence, the Fayyum portraits, linked like Egyptian art to death and funerary rites, remain an enigma. The film of our life on earth thus unwinds, summed up by the portraits of the Great - François I, Henry VIII, Charles V, Louis XIV, Napoleon - whom nobles and the middle classes shall take it turn to resemble. Atrium of the elder sign secrets of the lost tomb full#Starting in the Roman era, and later, during the Renaissance, Western portraits have been linked to life on earth they use social status, they deploy the full array of power they are associated with signs of wealth and prosperity, all the while surrendering to the tribulations of age and sickness. The Gods still emanate from these portraits, but they are little more than a fading vision, while there is already a spark in their widened eyes, not so much that of Christian hope, but of the stupor brought on by He who shall conquer history through Redemption.īut there is another question which remains unanswered. Between the eternal body of the Egyptian and the vulnerable flesh of the Roman, the Fayyum portrait offers up a double confession: nostalgia for a world which was unaware of the separation of life and death and the coming of another world which, despite the clangor of battle and the clamor of the Gods, knows that history has numbered its days, and the inescapable figure of destiny answers in numbered days. The seasons are sharpened by sword blows the hours are written in blood in the sand. Triumphs, defeats, victories and tribulations were more than mere events, they become the framework of a civilization leaving eternity behind to conquer it by force of arms. The Imperial Armies cast a gigantic shadow across the world, conceiving a new era, that of modern history. Would it be excessive to speculate that these deceased have passed on some hypnotic power to their effigies which, once life has gone, manifests itself through a thin coat of paint by a sort of call, perhaps even a challenge, inviting us, demanding us to watch and be watched?įayyum is situated at the crossroads of the great axes of the Ancient world.Īll this was brought down by Rome's intractable legions, preceded by Greek hoplites. What a difference between our relationship with ancient paintings! They barely tolerate a one on one relationship: from the very first glimpse, we are attracted both by their singularity and what must be called their transparency trap. The portrait is generally reassuring, either because it borrows sufficiently distinctive features, allowing it to be immediately identified, or it presents a secret resemblance which renders it instantly familiar. Coming to grips with the Fayyum portraits does not just involve learning about a little-known art form - it is also an experience which rarely leaves one unscathed.
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