What is this supposed to represent?
"Did You Know Your Mother Had a Sacred Heart?" was intended as a representation of feminine power, but portrayed through Judeo-Christian iconography. It is also her first work that combines needlework, ceramics, and sculptural presentation.
What is the history of the piece?
This cat was mummified as an offering to the goddess Bastet who was often depicted with the head of a cat. Bastet and cats themselves were associated with protection because cats are very maternal and are also known to kill vermin like mice!
Why did they mummify animals in ancient Egypt?
The ancient Egyptians mummified animals for the same reason they mummified people, kind of. Preserving the body was essential for successfully traveling to the afterlife. Ancient Egyptians wanted the animals to travel to the afterlife so they could bring prayers with them and deliver them directly to the gods.
What tools were used to carve the Torso of Akhenaten?
The sculpture is carved from limestone. The ancient Egyptians would have used copper and bronze chisels for basic outlines, but all of the smooth surfaces were achieved by using sand as an abrasive.
Interesting.
Indeed! I find the smoothness of ancient sculptures really mesmerizing! In many cases, especially with limestone, they used to painted as well which also affects the surface.
Great speaking with you. Thanks for the info.
I'm in a different gallery now and noticed that these works have different names on them. Can you tell me why?
What you're looking at now is a template that was used to create one of the runners in "The Dinner Party," a monumental tribute to women throughout history that is just behind this wall.
Saint Bridget was instrumental in founding the first monastery in Ireland and is one of 39 women honored with a place setting at "The Dinner Party," literally and symbolically giving woman a place at the table.
Thank you!
Is this a real person?
This painting depicts Francis Stuart as Athena, daughter of Zeus. Stuart was a prominent 17th century British woman known for her beauty and involvement in palace intrigue.
The artist of this piece, Jacob Huysmans was a 17th century painter born in Antwerp who worked for the court of British King Charles II.
He painted portraits of British royalty in the grand Baroque tradition. His female portraits often portrayed the sitter in the guise of mythological heroines or allegorical beauties, like you see here.
I'm frightened for her.
The title of this work describes perfectly what's going on here, "Young Woman Overtaken by a Storm." This young lady has wandered to far in the countryside.
Frightened and tearful, she seeks shelter under an oak tree. The artist painted this just after the French Revolution, a period of social upheaval. This painting is thought to be symbolic of the national mood at the time.
Some think she represents France itself since she wears the colors of Le Tricolore, the new republican flag: red, white, and blue.
In the "Photo Acknowledgement Panels" of "The Dinner Party," is the Elizabeth Eakins shown, the now textile designer?
She does appear to be the same Elizabeth Eakins! Many of "The Dinner Party" collaborators were specialists in various forms of textile and ceramic techniques.
I've never seen the Brooklyn Bridge like this before.
This is such a unique perspective of the Brooklyn Bridge! I love the way that the artist has used short brushstrokes to capture the play of light over the East River.
The artist began painting "bird's eye" cityscapes in the 1970s after she was inspired by the view on a flight to California.
What are these?
Those are animal mummies! The souls of these animals would have carried messages to the gods from the living.
Animal mummies were a major industry in Ancient Egypt. There is some evidence that there were corrupt priests who would sell fake mummies! Some do not contain a full skeleton- only a feather or single bone -- or no animal remains at all!
That’s interesting what type of animals would be mummified?
A whole range of animals were mummified - both wild and tame. Each animal was thought to have a special relationship to a god. For instance, the ibis was associated with Thoth, the god of wisdom and writing.
There are special animal cemeteries in the Saqqara desert that contains millions of these animal mummies! There are far more mummified animals than people.
