Day 29 - Diorite bust of a man
March 6, 2018
Gallery 128 contains sculptures, reliefs, and a stele from the 4th century B.C. One of the most striking images is a statue, about 2 feet high, that shows a small pharaoh nestled against the body of a large Horus - an unmistakable visual symbol of the god's protection, or perhaps, as the caption says, the pharaoh's identification with the god.
In many of the images of people I've seen, it is hard to identify the age of the person portrayed, whether because the features are idealized or for other reasons. And, of course, gods in human form are ageless. I chose today's image because it is so realistic in its depiction of aging. It's a sculpted diorite bust, approximately 10 inches high, from a statue of a man, the rest of which has been lost. The man's nose is also largely chipped off. I would guess him to be in his 60s or more, from the pronounced creases on his forehead, the hollows under his eyes, the laughter lines (what a euphemism!) around his eyes, the marionette lines around his mouth, and the crease on his left cheek. In other words, I recognize the same markers of aging in him that I see in myself. His mouth is closed. He looks serious, maybe weary. It's hard to tell whether his eyes are vacant or looking into a future that we cannot see.
He wears a tight cap that, according to the caption, has magic inscriptions on it. The caption says that magical texts probably covered the figure's garments as well, and that the statue probably stood in a temple where it could be visited by people seeking healing. Not very different from devotional statues of the saints in Catholic churches.
I suppose it's possible that younger people were also shown as having magical, healing powers, but I think it's more likely that then, as now, age was seen as conferring wisdom. So wrinkles are the necessary price we pay for learning something over the years. (I note that I have been reluctant to pay that price, but my experiments with Botox have been disastrous!)
In many of the images of people I've seen, it is hard to identify the age of the person portrayed, whether because the features are idealized or for other reasons. And, of course, gods in human form are ageless. I chose today's image because it is so realistic in its depiction of aging. It's a sculpted diorite bust, approximately 10 inches high, from a statue of a man, the rest of which has been lost. The man's nose is also largely chipped off. I would guess him to be in his 60s or more, from the pronounced creases on his forehead, the hollows under his eyes, the laughter lines (what a euphemism!) around his eyes, the marionette lines around his mouth, and the crease on his left cheek. In other words, I recognize the same markers of aging in him that I see in myself. His mouth is closed. He looks serious, maybe weary. It's hard to tell whether his eyes are vacant or looking into a future that we cannot see.
He wears a tight cap that, according to the caption, has magic inscriptions on it. The caption says that magical texts probably covered the figure's garments as well, and that the statue probably stood in a temple where it could be visited by people seeking healing. Not very different from devotional statues of the saints in Catholic churches.
I suppose it's possible that younger people were also shown as having magical, healing powers, but I think it's more likely that then, as now, age was seen as conferring wisdom. So wrinkles are the necessary price we pay for learning something over the years. (I note that I have been reluctant to pay that price, but my experiments with Botox have been disastrous!)
Comments
Post a Comment