Mummy Portrait Of A Woman Analysis

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

the artist’s mastery of the human facial anatomy and attentiveness to rendering a lifelike image of the woman. Both works were probably intended for some form of funerary function, but differ in how people could use these works to commemorate these women. The two forms of portraiture were created in the same century, showing the variety of stylistic traditions coexisting within the vast expanses of the Roman Empire.
Rendered using two different artistic traditions, the Mummy Portrait of a Woman, attributed to Isidora Master, expresses this sense of fluidity in style that occurred within Egypt under the control of the Roman Empire. A painted portrait of a woman serves as the covering for her mummified corpse. At a fairly life size scale, the image also functions as a marker of the identity of the person whose mummified body is attached to the portrait. As the body decays and becomes unrecognizable, the woman will still be preserved within this noble image of herself. Considering that the portrait was attached to the mummy, it would not have no longer been seen after the burial. Therefore, the work is not one that her family members can use to commemorate her in their daily lives. The woman is adorned with various gold accessories such as the wreath headpiece, earrings, and necklace, pointing to the notion that she belongs to an elite class. Her curly hair is braided and twisted around her head. The artist has extended the portrait into the linen wrappings through the clothing, creating continuity with the rest of the body. Her cloak or dress stretches beyond the portrait. Little golden diamonds surround her portrait, creating a picture frame. In many ways the image is positioned as though the woman is looking out of a window into the world beyond her portrait.
The Mummy Portrait is an encaustic panel portrait, which is a technique of mixing colors with hot wax and then applying them to the surface that was popular in the Roman Empire. By painting, the artist has the capability to capture and distinguish individual features through the use of color. The portrait appears more accurate to the physical appearance of the woman, since the artist is able to represent the color of her hair, skin, and eyes. An unknown source of light coming from outside the portrait illuminates the woman’s face, which is implied by the lighter patches of skin on the cheek, forehead, and beneath the eyes. The light works to add dimension and volume to her face, creating this sense that the viewer is gazing at a real woman who Isidora Master had observed from life. The light also highlights details such as the bags under her eyes and the wrinkle lines on her neck, baring the signs of her age. The woman looks upward with a life-filled gaze. She does not appear dead, since mummification entails the preservation of the body for the afterlife––a continuing life after death.
The Bust of a Matron is a limestone bust that adheres to a realistic and naturalistic mode of depicting a Roman matron.

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

damage.
Signs of aging in Roman portraiture, was a symbol of the individual’s contribution to society and loyalty to their family, which were “virtues that were much admired during the Republic” (Kleiner 242). The matron exhibits her age through her sagging skin, hollowed eyes, and wrinkle lines around her mouth. The matron’s sense of dignity and nobility evolves out of her aging. The face appears fuller due to the sagging neck and cheeks, pointing to the idea that she was from an elite class because she was well fed. Like the Mummy Portrait, the matron’s gaze is directed upwards, unacknowledging the viewer in front her. As opposed to excessive ornamentation, the artist chose to convey the woman’s status in a subtle manner. She wears a simple robe that wraps and twists around the body. The artist emphasizes the folds of her robe, creating movement and further contributing to this sense of realism. Her body is free of jewelry. Her hair is parted at the center, braided and wrapped around her head, identical to the woman in the Mummy Portrait. According to the Getty Villa, this hairstyle is a version worn by the Empress Faustina, which associates both women to a figure of high status. Hairstyle represents another marker of status within the Roman Empire.
During the Roman period, there was a great interest in honoring one’s ancestors by commissioning portraiture that captured their individual likeness and biography.

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

time.