Weekly Roundup- June 3rd
International art theft, bronze caches in Egypt, goddesses in the ancient world- keep reading for our favorite new stories from last week
Egyptian archaeological mission unearths largest-ever bronze statues cachette in Saqqara
At Saqqara (south of modern-day Cairo) archaeologists found a cache of about 250 painted coffins, over 150 bronze statuettes, and other statues. These artifacts all date to around 500 BCE, the Late Period. Analysis is sure to reveal all kinds of social information about the wealthy Egyptians able to afford coffins (only 5-10% of Late Period Egyptians could afford coffins!) The Saqqara necropolis continues to have more to share with us!
Watch a recording of the press conference for more information. We have included some photos of the finds:
A Rare Painting by Joan Carlile, One of England’s First Female Portrait Painters, Is Going to Auction in London
A painting by Joan Carlile goes up for auction this week in London. Carlile is widely believed to be the first female portrait painter active in Britain in the 17th century.
The painting depicts part of the Wharton family adorned in lush fabrics done in Carlile’s typical style. Only about 10 of Carlile’s works survive.
How did Carlile break into the male dominated practice? Also what would have compelled the elite families, like the Whartons, to employ her as their artist? Was it avant-garde to have a female artist?
Ancient Incense from Chinese Temple Analyzed
Researchers have found the remains of incense dating to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) from the underground palace of the Famen Royal Temple in northwestern China. The Temple is famous for its housing of a sarira, or relic, the finger bone of Sakyamuni Buddha. Kara has been to Kandy, Sri Lanka where the tooth of the Buddha is held and even attended ceremonies, filmed for the documentary “Out of Egypt.” Performing chemical analysis on the incense, the researchers determined the incense was composed of agarwood and elemi resin. Another vessel held agarwood and frankincense. Many of these good would have been imported from abroad hinting at the Tang’s strong ties to the “Silk Road.”
Goddesses of Myth and Cultural Memory
Goddesses have existed since the foundations of ideological thought, but how were they constructed and thought about by later cultures and religions. One theme remains the same, gender essentialism, as the author argues. Male gods are always viewed with a more positive, supreme lens, while female goddesses are less valued, considered more angry and PMS-y, placated only with vast amounts of beer. I’m not saying the goddess doesn’t want beer; she does. But the male divinity needs some calming down in this crazy world too…
In Kara’s Women and Power in the Ancient World course, she always gets this question: Why do we see powerful goddesses like Athena in cultures that were highly gendered and patriarchal; where women had little freedom or power? What do you think?
Former Louvre president charged in art trafficking case
Big scandal out of the Louvre. News broke that the former Louvre president was charged in an art trafficking case. One of the objects involved in the proceedings was a Stele of Tutankhamun, now housed at the Louvre Abu Dhabi (picture below).
The stela is a bit contentious within Egyptology. It is said to have come from Abydos, but how and when it left the country and how the Louvre *dubiously* acquired it is unclear at this point. Some scholars have argued that the piece is a fake. If we compare it to another known Tutankhamun stela, The Restoration Stela, you can see a very similar artist style, making it rather persuasive that the Abu Dhabi piece is genuine as well.
Will the piece be returned to Egypt? And what will the Egypt, Louvre, and French relationships be after this scandal? As Kara says, “Heads will fly.”
The backstory to the incident is featured on the Art Bust: Scandalous Stories of the Art World podcast attached below:
What Were Reading
Kara: Twitter threads! Threads like this one shows how so many things are connected to minority, white supremacist, colonial rule. Guns. Abortions. Taxes. And here, brilliantly analyzed, weights and measures.
Jordan: Nikole Hannah-Jones, 1619 Project- This book is an expansion of the original 1619 article in the New York Times. Besides being well-written and argued- my main takeaway so far is that so much of our revolt against Britain, the founding of our government, and writing of our constitution was underpinned by slavery ( and in most cases as attempts to keep this horrid institution). A must read for any American especially in these times.
Amber: The Sandman: Act II by Neil Gaiman, Dirk Maggs Alright, you got me. This is an audiobook! It’s part two of Audible’s wonderful all-star audio adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s classic graphic novel, The Sandman. A dark fantasy and horror story about Lord Morpheus, a.k.a. The Sandman, this is a multi-threaded, fast-moving story of what happens when the supernatural realm of Morpheus and the world of humanity cross paths. Since it weaves ancient history, mythology, legend, and real-world history, it’s the kind of story that will appeal to any history geek who enjoys indulging their imagination. If you’ve never read Neil Gaiman, you need to remedy that situation immediately and get your hands on any one of his numerous novels or graphic novels. The Sandman is a great place to start, but fair warning, Reader—you can easily get caught in The Dreaming.
