Pattern + Color from Three Thousand Years Past
August 21, 2014 § Leave a comment
I’ve always been fascinated by early humans and what life on this planet might have been like thousands if not tens of thousands of years ago. There is an interesting article in The Wall Street Journal today about the brief period of time early humans and neanderthals walked the earth together – click here to check it out. After a little online research, I came across this eye-catching image:
Seti I Fresco by Minutoli (5)
This lovely drawing depicts a relief from the tomb of pharoah Seti I, also known as Tomb KV17. The tomb itself is considered one of the most beautifully decorated tombs in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, and was discovered by Giovanni Batista Belzoni in October, 1817 (1). Though the exact dates of the reign of Seti I are unknown, 1294 to 1279 BC are the most commonly accepted by scholars today (2).
What is so interesting about this piece is not only its sheer beauty, but also the collection of different people. The drawing, from 1820, is credited to Heinrich Menu von Minutoli (1772-1846), who apparently copied the piece from an unknown artist (3) — my suspicions are on Alessandro Ricci, who created a very similar drawing around this time and is known to have visited the tomb and the region between 1817-1820 (4). Both images are often referenced in discussion of the demographics of Ancient Egypt during the reign of Seti I, which included Lybians, Nubians, Syrians, and Egyptians, as can be seen above. Some say the artist took creative liberties, but both the drawing and the original cave reliefs are stunning, with alluring choices of color, pattern, clothing, and hair style. I love the details in the outfits, along with the accessories and headpieces.
To think the original relief was painted well over three thousand years ago, it’s simply awe-inspiring.
Jo2theworld 
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