After visiting the Field Museum’s Egyptian collection, I would argue that mummies can only be considered art when the corpse is buried and wrapped with intention. Mummification evolved from an incidental natural process to a complex burial tradition focused on using artistic representations to inform the metaphysical of intentions of the deceased. It is only when the corpse becomes an object, (a vessel for the spirit), that it’s intention as art became apparent.
The earliest forms of mummification utilized by the ancient Egyptians were caused by the natural dry conditions that bodies were buried in. During the Pre-Dynastic Period (4400-3100 BCE) bodies were buried in shallow pit graves. In these dry conditions, the surrounding hot sand would …show more content…
The body lies on its side in the fetal position. He is buried with his head facing west towards the land of the dead, and surrounding his bare body are different trappings necessary for the afterlife.
Unlike later mummies, Gebelein Man has no decorations or jewelry, let alone any iteration of the later “published” book of the dead. Gebelein Man exists as an unwrapped and unadorned corpse.
Looking at Gebelein Man’s picture gives me a similar feeling of discomfort as some of the unwrapped mummies at the Field museum. It became apparent to me that without the context of their role as objects (vessels for the spirit), I was simply looking at human corpses.
A nude corpse is not the ideal vessel for the spirit, and as such placing early mummies like Gebelein Man, or unwrapped mummies from the Museum’s history on display feels as inappropriate as displaying a nude body at a contemporary funeral …show more content…
The gold skin and stylized facial features of Ankhef’s death mask is removed enough from the harsh reality of the face beneath it, that looking at the body feels more like looking at a sculpture than a corpse, and therefore makes displaying it in a museum setting less horrific. “The outer coffin of the priest Hor” from the Late Period (712-332 BCE) is a great example of how the context of the body as a vessel makes appreciating the artistic forms apparent in the treatment of the body possible. On the outside of the Priest’s coffin are gilded depictions of mummified gatekeepers and inlaid spells from the book of the dead. Included on the lid of the coffin are a pair of “Wedjat” eyes, which act as a way for the spirit to look up and out into the world. These eyes act as another barrier between the viewer and the true face of the Priest’s mummy. With the knowledge that this is the face of a spirit free from earthly bonds, the viewer can take the time to notice the delicately painted heraldic symmetry at the foot of the coffin. At the breast of “the inner coffin of the Priest Hor” sits Nut, the goddess of the sky. She spreads her wings across the Priest’s chest as a sign of protection. Her presence, paired with the uniform spells
The earliest forms of mummification utilized by the ancient Egyptians were caused by the natural dry conditions that bodies were buried in. During the Pre-Dynastic Period (4400-3100 BCE) bodies were buried in shallow pit graves. In these dry conditions, the surrounding hot sand would …show more content…
The body lies on its side in the fetal position. He is buried with his head facing west towards the land of the dead, and surrounding his bare body are different trappings necessary for the afterlife.
Unlike later mummies, Gebelein Man has no decorations or jewelry, let alone any iteration of the later “published” book of the dead. Gebelein Man exists as an unwrapped and unadorned corpse.
Looking at Gebelein Man’s picture gives me a similar feeling of discomfort as some of the unwrapped mummies at the Field museum. It became apparent to me that without the context of their role as objects (vessels for the spirit), I was simply looking at human corpses.
A nude corpse is not the ideal vessel for the spirit, and as such placing early mummies like Gebelein Man, or unwrapped mummies from the Museum’s history on display feels as inappropriate as displaying a nude body at a contemporary funeral …show more content…
The gold skin and stylized facial features of Ankhef’s death mask is removed enough from the harsh reality of the face beneath it, that looking at the body feels more like looking at a sculpture than a corpse, and therefore makes displaying it in a museum setting less horrific. “The outer coffin of the priest Hor” from the Late Period (712-332 BCE) is a great example of how the context of the body as a vessel makes appreciating the artistic forms apparent in the treatment of the body possible. On the outside of the Priest’s coffin are gilded depictions of mummified gatekeepers and inlaid spells from the book of the dead. Included on the lid of the coffin are a pair of “Wedjat” eyes, which act as a way for the spirit to look up and out into the world. These eyes act as another barrier between the viewer and the true face of the Priest’s mummy. With the knowledge that this is the face of a spirit free from earthly bonds, the viewer can take the time to notice the delicately painted heraldic symmetry at the foot of the coffin. At the breast of “the inner coffin of the Priest Hor” sits Nut, the goddess of the sky. She spreads her wings across the Priest’s chest as a sign of protection. Her presence, paired with the uniform spells