Fayum Lady, c 200 AD
on the Fayum portraits have revealed that both
hot and cold methods were used, which means
that depending on the local atelier and tradition,
“encaustic” could mean one or the other.
As we pass from the golden age of Hellenistic
painting and the Sikyonian School to Imperial
Rome, we see encaustic still retains a central role
in painting, especially for portrait painting as its
optical depth lends itself so well to the rendering
of human skin. The great tradition of ancestor
portraits flourished in Rome, and as the Imperial
Age fell into decline, the outlying provinces of
the empire maintained their own local traditions,
which are most evident today in the vast number
of funerary portraits which have been unearthed in
Egypt, known as the Fayum portraits.
It is believed the Fayum portraits have
their origins in the Alexandrian School, which was
associated with Apelles’ passing through the city
later in his life. As Greeks began to colonize Egypt
more and more, especially in the fertile district of
the Fayum (south of Cairo), an unusual tradition
developed which was the fusion of local Egyptian
funerary traditions with rational “realistic” Western
painting approaches. Artists were both Greek
and native-born, and infused the more ancient,
hieratic and symbolic approach to portraiture with
Contrary to what is
commonly thought, the
sarcophagi were not buried
immediately; they were kept
in a special chamber in the
household and brought out
on special occasions so
the “spirit” of the ancestor
could be present.
one which was individualizing, “skiagraphic”, and
psychological.
Many of the tools which were used were
medical instruments for eye surgery, cleaning
the ears, etc, and in the mid-nineteenth century
a tomb was discovered in Northern France of a
woman painter from the same period, although
clearly a different region, who had a box of waxes
and various “cauteria” or tools. The markings
of the heated tools are clearly seen in any of the
Fayum portraits. Although it cannot be determined
at present whether they were executed by itinerant
artists, or whether it was the clients who went to
the artist’s studio, it is clear is that they are remarkable
in the high level of technique and sophistication,
and demonstrate how the encaustic method
lends itself remarkably well to representing the
pathos of the sitters. The works often remained in
the household of the owner until death, at which
time they were applied to a sarcophagus. Contrary
to what is commonly thought, the sarcophagi
were not buried immediately; they were kept in a
special chamber in the household and brought out
on special occasions so the “spirit” of the ancestor
could be present. After a number of generations,
when the memory of the ancestor started to fade,
the sarcophagus was buried often in a careless
fashion in the ground with no ceremony. It is remarkable
that the portraits are in such superb condition
considering the neglectful way in which they were
disposed.
Set of cauteria, National Archaeological Museum,
Athens
Francisco Benitez
Featured Artist
9
Spring
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