Who was Teti?
Teti is identified as a "Servant of the Great Place," which was the title given to the artists and artisans who worked on the tombs of the Theban cemeteries.
Was it common for artisans to afford such luxurious coffins?
It was not that uncommon. On top of their government salary, many artists also conducted private business selling crafts and services. This is how some were able to afford land, slaves, livestock, and elaborate burials.
Like today, it required budgeting and saving, which not everyone did! Teti likely saved for about a year to afford this coffin. It is also important to remember that the artisans, like Teti, working on tombs and tomb decoration also had direct access to the makers of such luxurious burial goods.
Very cool!
Is this a painting that parodies Manet’s "Olympia?"
You have sharp eyes! Mickalene Thomas, a contemporary artist, explores race, gender, and the history of art. She combines iconography of the 1970s with poses of female nudes from older paintings. The pose here more exactly replicates the one in Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres' "La Grande Odalisque," which is of the same type as Manet's famous "Olympia." Thomas is interested in reclaiming the black female nude, which was often objectified and abused in society and Western art. She herself is a woman of color. She also wants to push the boundaries of painting, using unusual materials like rhinestones here!
How may of these reliefs existed and how many of the survive today?
A great deal of the reliefs from Ashurnasripal II's palace at Nimrud survived into the 21st century. Examples can be seen in over 50 collections around the world. Many panels were also left on site, but some of these have fallen victim to the destructive campaigns of the Islamic State.
I would guess that the original palace something over 500 decorated panels. Between 300 and 400 of them are known to scholars.
Who painted this?
This is "The Well" by Daniel Ridgway Knight. It was painted 1880.
Knight was American but he spent most of his career living and working in and around Paris. He had a country home outside Paris, and he built a small outdoor studio that was almost like a greenhouse. It was all glassed in, so that he could work "outside" most of the year!
Was it given to a bride during a wedding ceremony? Like an old school version of putting a ring on the finger?
We don't really know! It's thought that the figure was tied to the idea of fertility, and could be depicting a divine woman.
Interesting
It looks like whoever made it didn't spend more than an hour or two sculpting it.
We find a number of this type of figure in the ancient Near East but they are so early that they predate any writing. Without people writing down what they thought or believed, there's always some degree of uncertainty.
Why wouldn't they have spent more time on making it? Or am I wrong about that?
Sometimes the conveying the idea was the most important aspect of a statue, especially if it's tied to religion.
Is nemesis an Egyptian or Roman god?
Nemesis is, in fact, a Roman deity that was adopted from the Greek tradition. This sculpture comes from the period when Rome ruled Egypt.
Is that where we got the English word nemesis?
Yes! Nemesis was concerned with retribution and indignation, in a way, a personification of resentment.
Her name in Greek translates to "dispenser of dues" and she was believed to be responsible for maintaining equilibrium amongst people.
I am here with my 7 year old son and he would like to know what natural material the artist used to make this color blue. He guessed blueberry juice ;)
That's great guess! I'm sure it would have been beautiful with blueberry juice, but it also would have faded :( For bright colors to stay for a long time, it is usually best to use colors made from stones (like here) and metals!
This type of blue is known as ultramarine and is made from a stone called lapis lazuli. It was very expensive because it had to travel to Italy all the way from Afghanistan.
Thank you! Was it only used in Medieval times?
You're welcome! No! The first ever long distance trade route (that we know about) was established to move lapis from Afghanistan to Egypt about 6000 years ago! The ancient Egyptians, Mesopotamians, and other people of the ancient Mediterranean and Asia used the stone.
You can even find it in jewelry today and ultramarine paint is still made! It's less expensive though, with modern travel.
You just blew his mind ;)
What god is this?
This is Re-horakhty, he's like a combination of Re and Horus. Here, Thenet (the woman on the right) is giving him offerings so that he will help her on her journey to the afterlife.
