DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.1034#0047
42
HAWARA, BIAHMU, AND ARSINOE.
deny that the measure of success achieved in some
of the best of these portraits is very remarkable.
The old man in particular (No. 10.) shows a breadth
of style and a quiet humour which reminds us of
some of the Dutch masters of the Teniers school.
Of course there are good and bad among them : in
some cases, as Mr Petrie's classification and the Louvre
pictures show, we have good and bad of the same
date; the quality probably depended to some extent
upon the price which the relatives could afford to pay.
One wonders what this price may have been, especially
when we read of the enormous sums which great
pictures fetched in the palmy days of Greek painting.
Most of these people seem to have been well to do,
as the gold wreaths of the men and the jewellery of
the women prove. We have in the Louvre portraits the
family of an archon ; but I think Dr Ebers is certainly
right in refusing to identify the stripe on the dress with
the Laticlavus worn by patricians and knightly families.
The occurrence of this ornament in our portraits is
almost universal, on both shoulders of men, women,
and children, and it is quite unlikely that these
people could all have been of high birth and position.
The ornament is simply what one finds on all the
tunics which have come to us from Egyptian sites of
this date downwards (see Cat. of Tapestry in S. Κ. M.,
pp. 17-45), and has, I think, here no ulterior meaning.
In the absence of any original work of the great
Greek artists, it is impossible to estimate precisely
what the merits of their art may have been as com-
pared with the art of the Renaissance and modern
times: we are limited to the scanty and scattered
criticisms and anecdotes of authorities who for the
most part display their absolute ignorance of the
subject. The story of the sparrows and the cherries
proves nothing, as Goethe said, except that the
sparrows were very indifferent art critics. Probably
a single sentence saved from the books by Apelles
would be worth to us more than all the anecdotes
of painters in antfq'uity. But if we may judge from
the relics which have reached us ; the Campanian
wall-pictures, mostly the work of mere decorators of
suburban villas ; the vase paintings, by men whose
very art was hardly mentioned in literature, much
less their names ; and, lastly, these encaustic por-
traits, painted in a remote corner of a distant pro-
vince by local talent not wholly unconnected with
the undertaking interest,—if we think what a world
of difference must have lain between such men as
these and the great painters, the friends of kings,
who would not sell their pictures for gold,—we may
obtain a faint idea of that which we have lost. In
the conception and in treatment of subject, we may
be sure that the Greek artists would have had little
to learn from ourselves ; and these portraits show us
that their technical skill and knowledge of their
materials were, at least, on a level with our own.
56. The descriptions of the Hawara portraits which
follow consist merely of a series of notes which I
took while they were on exhibition, with a view of
ascertaining, if possible, what distinction of date or
style is evidenced in the technique and method of the
various examples. The arrangement is the chrono-
logical order settled upon by Mr Petrie: my own
independent arrangement, from details of style,
differed from his so slightly that I have thought it
best to follow his order throughout, only inserting
the numbers marked with an asterisk in what I
would suggest are probably their places. These
numbers were left unclassified by Mr Petrie, as not
answering to any of his tests.
Painted on Canvas.
FF. Young child: painted on canvas in mummy-case
with hieroglyphics ; Greek (?); chubby square face, eyebrows
arched and wide apart; hair straight and thin. Body to
front, face slightly to r. Shading down r. of nose and under
chin ; no high lights. Background white, with black strokes
(meant for hair?). White chiton, with red riband around
neck to which a pendant has been hung (?).
Good drawing, but careless ; eyes much too large. The
style is difficult to judge, as the paint has cracked and
flaked off in places. Deep red tone. The hair is drawn
in single fine strokes. The general effect has probably been
very good.
YY. Portrait on canvas ; lady ; Greek.
Red and Gilt Mummy-cases.
AC. Young man: in mummy-case, red, with gilt decorations
and hieroglyphics; across breast, within two horizontal lines,
ΑΡΤΕΜΙΔΟϋΡΕ • ΕΥΨΥΧΙ. Greek type : oval face, rather
thin arched eyebrows, with wide space between. Body to 1,
face slightly to 1.; shading on 1. of nose and face, and under
lip and chin. High lights down nose and on upper lip, and dot
in eyes. Hair dark brown, edge drawn on to background :
over it is laid a gilt wreath. Background yellowish drab,
smooth and clean, leaving good outline. White chiton, and
white himation over 1. shoulder.
Careful drawing, but a little hard and mannered; warm
brownish tone. Hair smooth and careful, part behind r.
ear corrected by work from background. Thin line of
Indian red for outline of eyes and nose, and between lips.
Shading of drapery in colour of background, hard and
angular. The face is good, the drapery sketchy.
AD. Older man: in mummy-case, precisely similar to last,
with similar inscription, and portrait (bearded) painted in
much the same style: possibly the father of the preceding
No. AC.
Gilt Borders.
Z. Man with slight beard, whiskers, and moustache; body
slightly to r. ; in white chiton with purple stripe on r.
shoulder. Around head, from shoulder to shoulder, a band
laid on with relief of tendril and berries gilt Hair close,
curly, carefully drawn; eyebrows a clearly denned arch;
HAWARA, BIAHMU, AND ARSINOE.
deny that the measure of success achieved in some
of the best of these portraits is very remarkable.
The old man in particular (No. 10.) shows a breadth
of style and a quiet humour which reminds us of
some of the Dutch masters of the Teniers school.
Of course there are good and bad among them : in
some cases, as Mr Petrie's classification and the Louvre
pictures show, we have good and bad of the same
date; the quality probably depended to some extent
upon the price which the relatives could afford to pay.
One wonders what this price may have been, especially
when we read of the enormous sums which great
pictures fetched in the palmy days of Greek painting.
Most of these people seem to have been well to do,
as the gold wreaths of the men and the jewellery of
the women prove. We have in the Louvre portraits the
family of an archon ; but I think Dr Ebers is certainly
right in refusing to identify the stripe on the dress with
the Laticlavus worn by patricians and knightly families.
The occurrence of this ornament in our portraits is
almost universal, on both shoulders of men, women,
and children, and it is quite unlikely that these
people could all have been of high birth and position.
The ornament is simply what one finds on all the
tunics which have come to us from Egyptian sites of
this date downwards (see Cat. of Tapestry in S. Κ. M.,
pp. 17-45), and has, I think, here no ulterior meaning.
In the absence of any original work of the great
Greek artists, it is impossible to estimate precisely
what the merits of their art may have been as com-
pared with the art of the Renaissance and modern
times: we are limited to the scanty and scattered
criticisms and anecdotes of authorities who for the
most part display their absolute ignorance of the
subject. The story of the sparrows and the cherries
proves nothing, as Goethe said, except that the
sparrows were very indifferent art critics. Probably
a single sentence saved from the books by Apelles
would be worth to us more than all the anecdotes
of painters in antfq'uity. But if we may judge from
the relics which have reached us ; the Campanian
wall-pictures, mostly the work of mere decorators of
suburban villas ; the vase paintings, by men whose
very art was hardly mentioned in literature, much
less their names ; and, lastly, these encaustic por-
traits, painted in a remote corner of a distant pro-
vince by local talent not wholly unconnected with
the undertaking interest,—if we think what a world
of difference must have lain between such men as
these and the great painters, the friends of kings,
who would not sell their pictures for gold,—we may
obtain a faint idea of that which we have lost. In
the conception and in treatment of subject, we may
be sure that the Greek artists would have had little
to learn from ourselves ; and these portraits show us
that their technical skill and knowledge of their
materials were, at least, on a level with our own.
56. The descriptions of the Hawara portraits which
follow consist merely of a series of notes which I
took while they were on exhibition, with a view of
ascertaining, if possible, what distinction of date or
style is evidenced in the technique and method of the
various examples. The arrangement is the chrono-
logical order settled upon by Mr Petrie: my own
independent arrangement, from details of style,
differed from his so slightly that I have thought it
best to follow his order throughout, only inserting
the numbers marked with an asterisk in what I
would suggest are probably their places. These
numbers were left unclassified by Mr Petrie, as not
answering to any of his tests.
Painted on Canvas.
FF. Young child: painted on canvas in mummy-case
with hieroglyphics ; Greek (?); chubby square face, eyebrows
arched and wide apart; hair straight and thin. Body to
front, face slightly to r. Shading down r. of nose and under
chin ; no high lights. Background white, with black strokes
(meant for hair?). White chiton, with red riband around
neck to which a pendant has been hung (?).
Good drawing, but careless ; eyes much too large. The
style is difficult to judge, as the paint has cracked and
flaked off in places. Deep red tone. The hair is drawn
in single fine strokes. The general effect has probably been
very good.
YY. Portrait on canvas ; lady ; Greek.
Red and Gilt Mummy-cases.
AC. Young man: in mummy-case, red, with gilt decorations
and hieroglyphics; across breast, within two horizontal lines,
ΑΡΤΕΜΙΔΟϋΡΕ • ΕΥΨΥΧΙ. Greek type : oval face, rather
thin arched eyebrows, with wide space between. Body to 1,
face slightly to 1.; shading on 1. of nose and face, and under
lip and chin. High lights down nose and on upper lip, and dot
in eyes. Hair dark brown, edge drawn on to background :
over it is laid a gilt wreath. Background yellowish drab,
smooth and clean, leaving good outline. White chiton, and
white himation over 1. shoulder.
Careful drawing, but a little hard and mannered; warm
brownish tone. Hair smooth and careful, part behind r.
ear corrected by work from background. Thin line of
Indian red for outline of eyes and nose, and between lips.
Shading of drapery in colour of background, hard and
angular. The face is good, the drapery sketchy.
AD. Older man: in mummy-case, precisely similar to last,
with similar inscription, and portrait (bearded) painted in
much the same style: possibly the father of the preceding
No. AC.
Gilt Borders.
Z. Man with slight beard, whiskers, and moustache; body
slightly to r. ; in white chiton with purple stripe on r.
shoulder. Around head, from shoulder to shoulder, a band
laid on with relief of tendril and berries gilt Hair close,
curly, carefully drawn; eyebrows a clearly denned arch;