Antoine De Moor, Caecilia Fluck, Petra Linscheid (eds), Excavating, analysing, reconstructing Textiles of the 1st millennium AD from Egypt, Proceedings of the 9th conference of the research group 'Textiles from the Nile Valley' Antwerp 27-29 November 2015, Lannoo, Tielt, 208-219, 2017
Aphrodite figures lifting her hands and holding long strands of hair are to be found in unexpecte... more Aphrodite figures lifting her hands and holding long strands of hair are to be found in unexpected contexts on three tapestry woven, decorative elements from Byzantine tunics, in the textile collection of the Museum of Cultures, Basel (4th-6th centuries CE). This 'hair gesture' is derived of a specific type of Hellenistic Aphrodite Anadyomene sculptures of the 4th-3rd centuries BCE. Figures of the goddess performing the 'hair gesture' are integrated, on the three Basel pieces, into a 'Judgment of Paris' scene, a 'Divine Loving Pair standing side by side' scene, and a picture of 'Aphrodite Crowning Herself'. We examine when and why these characteristically Egyptian modifications of classic mythology were created, and what may be the connection of the new compositions with ideas handed down from Pharaonic times.
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We suggest, first, a new interpretation of the extraordinary measures Pinudjem II took for ensuring eternal safety in the necropolis: first of all, the decrees issued by Amun-Re guaranteeing the immediate deification of Nesikhons and Pinudjem at their death. This is a prerequisite for understanding the innovative iconographic programme of Istemkheb D's second coffin set made some years after Nesikhons' burial.
Second, a new approach to the analysis and interpretation of the figurative decoration on the long sides of the coffins is proposed. Criteria for the classification of scenes are the different signs of exalting the deceased: first of all, the solar crown of Isis/Hathor, pointing to the full identification of a non-royal priestess with the highest goddess - an idea which could possibly be induced only by the coffin-owner herself.
Senwosret III is an outstanding case. A new concept of the royal portrait appeared under this ruler: a fully realistic representation of the face. It carries a different message for the beholder than the statues of earlier kings with their synthetic physiognomies. The new portrait was created by an artist who perceived the king in a different way. This act presupposes that the King perceived himself in a different way. Any imposing portrait is the product of the self-perception of an important model and the perception of an important artist.
We suggest, first, a new interpretation of the extraordinary measures Pinudjem II took for ensuring eternal safety in the necropolis: first of all, the decrees issued by Amun-Re guaranteeing the immediate deification of Nesikhons and Pinudjem at their death. This is a prerequisite for understanding the innovative iconographic programme of Istemkheb D's second coffin set made some years after Nesikhons' burial.
Second, a new approach to the analysis and interpretation of the figurative decoration on the long sides of the coffins is proposed. Criteria for the classification of scenes are the different signs of exalting the deceased: first of all, the solar crown of Isis/Hathor, pointing to the full identification of a non-royal priestess with the highest goddess - an idea which could possibly be induced only by the coffin-owner herself.
Senwosret III is an outstanding case. A new concept of the royal portrait appeared under this ruler: a fully realistic representation of the face. It carries a different message for the beholder than the statues of earlier kings with their synthetic physiognomies. The new portrait was created by an artist who perceived the king in a different way. This act presupposes that the King perceived himself in a different way. Any imposing portrait is the product of the self-perception of an important model and the perception of an important artist.