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Fayum mummy portraits: object biography and museum display

Stellini, Brianna C. (2022) Fayum mummy portraits: object biography and museum display. Undergraduate Thesis, University of Pittsburgh. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

Created from the first to third centuries CE, Roman Egyptian mummy portraits can be found in over a hundred museum institutions around the world. These objects were largely created within the Fayum oasis region of Egypt, south of the ancient capital city of Memphis. With only about a thousand left in existence in varying degrees of preservation, these portraits come from a time where the lines between Greek, Roman, and Egyptian cultures became blurred. The mummy portraits in these collections have two very different lives: the ancient funerary object and the museum display object. I use an object biographical lens to analyze these two different lives and how the modern life of these portraits blocks the ability for much, if anything, to be learned about the ancient life because of how heavily the nature of the museum display is based on modern western ideals. This project does not intend to be a comprehensive analysis of the display of all mummy portraits; therefore, the focus will be on the collections of both the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the J. Paul Getty Museum in Malibu due to their accessibility during the COVID-19 pandemic.


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Details

Item Type: University of Pittsburgh ETD
Status: Unpublished
Creators/Authors:
CreatorsEmailPitt UsernameORCID
Stellini, Brianna C.bcs61@pitt.edubcs610000-0002-9893-6506
ETD Committee:
TitleMemberEmail AddressPitt UsernameORCID
Committee ChairMorton, Thomas J.tjmorton@pitt.edu
Committee MemberEppihimer, Melissamelissa.eppihimer@pitt.edu
Committee MemberWeaver, Carrie L.clweaver@pitt.edu
D'Anniballe, Mariamdaw@pitt.edu
Date: 21 April 2022
Defense Date: 15 April 2022
Approval Date: 27 April 2022
Submission Date: 21 April 2022
Access Restriction: No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately.
Number of Pages: 53
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Schools and Programs: Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > History of Art and Architecture
David C. Frederick Honors College
Degree: BPhil - Bachelor of Philosophy
Thesis Type: Undergraduate Thesis
Refereed: Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords: Musuem Display, Fayum Portraits, Mummy Portraits, Roman Egypt
Date Deposited: 27 Apr 2022 17:39
Last Modified: 27 Apr 2022 17:39
URI: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/42735

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  • Fayum mummy portraits: object biography and museum display. (deposited 27 Apr 2022 17:39) [Currently Displayed]

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