Ancient Faces : Mummy Portraits in Roman Egypt (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications) [Paperback]

Susan Walker (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415927455 | ISBN-13: 978-0415927451 | Publication Date: February 2000 | Edition: 1

From the first major discoveries a century ago, the painted portraits of Roman Egypt were a revelation to scholars and the public alike, and the recent finding of a new cache of these gilded images, which made national headlines, have only heightened their mystery and appeal. Published to coincide with a new major exhibition of these portraits, "Ancient Faces" is the most comprehensive, up-to-date survey of these astonishing works of art.
Dating from the later period of Roman rule in Egypt, shortly before the birth of Christ, the painted mummy portraits are among the most remarkable products of the ancient world, a fusion of the traditions of pharonic Egypt and the Classical world. They are historical and cultural objects of outstanding importance and beauty, superb works of art that represent some of the earliest known examples of life-like portraiture. Though the subjects of the portraits believed in the traditional Egyptian cults, which offered them a firm prospect of life after death, they also wished to be commemorated in the Roman manner, with their fashion of dress and adornment signaling their status in life. Despite their ancient history, these portraits speak to the modern eye with a beauty and intensity that would be lost to portraiture until the Renaissance.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

When Rome conquered Egypt, two great cultures combined, taking some of the best qualities of each to form an amalgam. The Egyptian belief in the afterlife held strong appeal, but so did the Roman practice of portraiture. As a result, portrait painting was added to traditional Egyptian funerary practices to produce the unique and haunting "mummy portraits," some of the earliest portraits still in existence. The first "ancient faces" exhibit appeared at the British Museum in 1997. When the Metropolitan Museum of Art decided to do its own version, it expanded on the original core group of portraits by adding material from European and North American collections. Walker, deputy keeper of Greek and Roman Antiquities at the British Museum, edited the catalog for both shows. Consequently, they are very similar in most respects; five of the seven essays in this volume appeared first in the British catalog. Recommended for academic and larger public libraries not owning the British catalog.
-Mary Morgan Smith, Northland P.L., Pittsburgh
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Susan Walker is Deputy Keeper of the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities, the British Museum. Her publications include Greek and Roman Portraits and Roman Art.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (February 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415927455
• ISBN-13: 978-0415927451
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #835,816 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Incredible documentation of topic,plates not true to color, February 26, 2000

By 

Ward J. Lamb (slate hill, new york United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ancient Faces : Mummy Portraits in Roman Egypt (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications) (Paperback)

This exhibition is a facinating personal document of the Roman mummy portraits and their Egyptian and greek influenced hybrid artworks. The incredible freshness of the works themselves is lost in the printing here. Perhaps the encaustic is difficult to photograph? Anyway the topic and text is wonderful, but the images pale next to the 1st person experience of these vital energizing works of the Roman era.A good book to own, if you saw the show it's better.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well presented and full of facts., March 18, 2006

By 

ymns (puerto rico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ancient Faces : Mummy Portraits in Roman Egypt (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications) (Paperback)

The book is large and full of portraits from diferent sites in Egypt, not only the Fayum, which are not always included in other books. It contains several articles from diferent specialists conserning the history, techniques, archaeological facts and findings as well as the dating of these objects, which are very usefull and enlightening. Three fourth's of the book presents the portraits themselves and the study cases of each one of them. Unfortunetly, the portraits are not always full length page and all are placed on a white background. In this respect, the book by Berenice Geoffory-Schneiter, Fayum, is superior. Nevertheless, the book is nicely presented and a good basic book for those interest in the study of this fascinating cultural expression.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent exhibition catalog, December 30, 2000

By 

Francesca Jourdan (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ancient Faces : Mummy Portraits in Roman Egypt (Metropolitan Museum of Art Publications) (Paperback)

A companion to an exhibition taking place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, this book presents colored panel and shroud portraits of Roman Egypt. Contributors, including R. Bagnall, M. Bierbrier, K. Gschwantler, J. Taylor and S. Walker, give a concise acccount of mummy portraits and their discovery, as well as the Fayum and its people. Extensively illustrated in color, this is a useful book covering a little-known subject. An excellent reference for everyone.