Coptic art 1 Coptic art
Coptic art is a term used either for the art of Egypt produced in the early Christian era or for the art produced by the Coptic Christians themselves. Coptic art is most well known for its wall-paintings, textiles, illuminated manuscripts, and metalwork, much of which survives in monasteries and churches. The artwork is often functional, as little distinction was drawn between artistry and craftsmanship, and includes tunics and tombstones as well as portraits of saints. The Coptic Museum in Coptic Cairo[1] houses some of the world's most important examples of Coptic art and iconography.[2]
Origins
Coptic art displays a mix of native Egyptian and Hellenistic influences [3] . Subjects and symbols were taken from both Greek and Egyptian mythology, sometimes altered to fit Christian beliefs. Persia and Syria also influenced Coptic art, though to a lesser extent, leaving images One of the Fayoum portraits depicting a boy, 2nd such as the peacock and the griffin. century, Warsaw. Encaustic on wood
Iconography
Coptic icons have their origin in the Hellenistic art of Egyptian Late Antiquity, as exemplified by the Fayum mummy portraits [4] . The faces of El Fayum are examples of the Coptic art in the 2nd century AD showing the Greek and Roman influence on the Coptic art but with some distinctive features related to Egyptian art The Arabic conquest of Egypt allowed the Coptic art to influence the Islamic art and architecture with many features that are now integral in the Islamic art. Beginning in the 4th century, churches painted their walls and made icons to reflect an authentic expression of their faith. Christ and Saint Menas. A 6th-century Coptic The figures of saints display eyes and ears larger in proportion to the icon from Egypt (Musée du Louvre) rest of the face and a smaller mouth, as well as enlarged heads, signifying a spiritual relationship with God and devotion to prayer. Martyrs' faces were peaceful. Many Coptic iconographers did not sign their names, but the prominent among them include St. Luke (traditionally believed to be the first icon painter) and two Coptic Popes, Pope Macarius I and Pope Gabriel III[5] Coptic art 2
Influence
The influence of Coptic art and architecture on Islamic architecture and incorporation of some Coptic features in Islamic building started as early as the 7th century AD [6] As the Church of Alexandria was the first Church of Africa the influence of Coptic art spread to Sudan and Ethiopia. Some forms of the Coptic cross are known as the Ethiopian cross and many Churches in Ethiopia show the influence of the Coptic art.
Menas flasks are very cheap terracotta bottles bought by pilgrims to Rondel, wool on linen, 6th century, Syrian or Abu Mina, the shrine of Saint Menas, in the 4th and 5th centuries. The Egyptian Coptic. Cooper Union museum. clay was impressed before firing with blocks with images of the saint. They have been found nearly all over the Christian world, and many scholars trace influence from their fairly crude images in the emerging iconography of Western medieval art, among other Coptic influences.
Coptic textiles
A remarkable number of Coptic textiles survive today, due to the Coptic custom of burying them with the dead, and to the aridity of Egyptian graves. The textiles are commonly linen or wool and use the colors red, blue, yellow, green, purple, black and brown. The dyes were derived from madder, indigo, woad, saffron, the murex shell, and the kermes insect. The first looms used were horizontal low-warp; vertical high-warp looms were introduced later. The basic garment was Tunic ornament, wool, tapestry weave, 10th the tunic, which would become the dalmatic. Some tunics were woven century. California Academy of Sciences collections. in one piece. They were decorated by clavi, a stylistic import from Rome.
Some fine examples of the Coptic textile are shown in museums all over the world and a large collection is in the Coptic Museum in Coptic Cairo [7] Tens of thousands of coloured fragments found their way into the museums of the world, especially after 1889 when the French archaeologist Albert Gayet published a catalogue of Coptic art and, in the Bulaq Museum, staged the first exhibition of Coptic monuments.[8] . The early Coptic textiles still produced pictures and decoration incorporating Egyptian and Greek motifs. Shrouds, for example, might incorporate classical elements were painted in the form of an Egyptian sarcophagus and include representations of Egyptian gods to protect the dead. Later coptic textiles showed the influence of Byzantium and later, Islamic art.
Modern Coptic Art Modern Coptic art is also known as the Neo-Coptic school. In recent centuries icons have been the main means of expression, keeping most traditional aspects. Coptic icons are more concerned religious truth and beauty than with realism, the depiction of depth, or perspective. As in the Byzantine and related traditions, the figures are depicted frontally, looking straight at the viewer. Today, Coptic icons are found not only in churches, but also in homes and praying altars. They may also be purchased from Coptic gift shops throughout Egypt. During the papacy of Pope Cyril VI, the emergence of Coptic painters like Dr. Isaac Fanous Youssef, along with the revival of Coptic art, brought about the creation of the Contemporary or Neo-Coptic school of iconography. Coptic art 3
Gallery of Coptic art
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Part of wood relief of the Annunciation, 5th century, Louvre Coptic art 4
Terracotta pilgrim's Menas flask impressed with Saint Minas between two camels, Byzantine, 6th-7th century, probably made at Abu Mina, Egypt (Louvre Museum)
St Anne, from Farras, 8th century. National Museum in Warsaw
Capital from Faras, British Museum Coptic art 5
Coptic Nativity fresco 10th or 11th century, Farras, Sudan
17th century Coptic icon of an Archangel, Athens
Modern Coptic icon of Jesus Christ
Modern Coptic icon of Saint Anthony the Great Coptic art 6
Modern Coptic icon of Saint Demiana
Coptic icon of Saint Maurice
Coptic icon of Saint Menas Coptic art 7
Coptic icon of Saint Pishoy
References
[1] Coptic museum (http:/ / www. copticmuseum. gov. eg/ english/ internal/ brief_history. asp)
[2] Lastminute (http:/ / www. lastminute. com/ site/ find/ World/ Middle-East/ Egypt/ Cairo/ WOW-Attraction-106088. html)
[3] Eternal Egypt (http:/ / www. eternalegypt. org/ EternalEgyptWebsiteWeb/ HomeServlet?ee_website_action_key=action. display. module&
story_id=& module_id=305& language_id=1& text=text)
[4] Free essay (http:/ / www. freeessays. cc/ db/ 6/ ame86. shtml)
[5] Coptic.net (http:/ / www. coptic. net/ articles/ CopticIcons. txt)
[6] Tiscali (http:/ / www. tiscali. co. uk/ reference/ encyclopaedia/ hutchinson/ m0018814. html)
[7] New York Times (http:/ / query. nytimes. com/ gst/ fullpage. html?sec=travel& res=950DE5D61239F932A35752C0A96F948260)
[8] Alahram weekley on Coptic Tapestery book (http:/ / weekly. ahram. org. eg/ 2006/ 796/ hr1. htm)
External links
• Coptic Icons (http:/ / www. copticicons. com. au)
• Introduction to Coptic art, from Coptic-net (http:/ / www. coptic. net/ articles/ CopticArtOfEgypt. txt)
• The Coptic Art Studio (http:/ / www. copticartstudio. com)
• Coptic Icons (http:/ / www. webcitation. org/ query?url=http:/ / www. geocities. com/ SoHo/ Canvas/ 9460/
coptic. html& date=2009-10-25+ 09:59:19)
• Coptic net links to photos and resources (http:/ / www. coptic. net/ CopticWeb/ Links-Arts. html)
• Coptic textiles from Indiana University Art Museum (http:/ / www. iub. edu/ ~iuam/ online_modules/ coptic/
cophome. html)
• Coptic Textile calacademy (http:/ / www. calacademy. org/ research/ anthropology/ coptic/ index. html)
• Coptic textiles - Virtual Museum of Textile Arts (http:/ / www. museocaprai. it/ en/ tecnica_Tessuti_Copti. htm)
• Online gallery of rare Coptic icons (http:/ / www. romanylatif. com/ cgi-bin/ album. pl?album=coptic) Article Sources and Contributors 8 Article Sources and Contributors
Coptic art Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=422764377 Contributors: AgentPeppermint, Auntof6, Bfigura, BishopSuriel, Bvs1925, Ch counsel, Charlesdrakew, Chrislk02, CommonsDelinker, Dr. Blofeld, ElinorD, Fadihany, Fama Clamosa, Ghaly, Ghirlandajo, Hmains, JamesBWatson, Johnbod, Kesh, Lanternix, Mahmudmasri, Meno25, Mild Bill Hiccup, OlEnglish, Pishogue, Screen stalker, Sdornan, Shakko, Tabletop, Taharqa, TextileArtsMuseum, Tillman, Troy 07, Udimu, Zerida, 13 anonymous edits Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors
Image:Fayum-boy-MNW.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Fayum-boy-MNW.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: BurgererSF, Ejdzej, Feuerrabe, JMCC1, Mattes, Szczebrzeszynski, Zolo Image:Menas.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Menas.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: User:Ghirlandajo File:Coptic rondel.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Coptic_rondel.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Coptic culture, Egypt or Syria File:Coptic tunic ornament.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Coptic_tunic_ornament.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Coptic culture, Egypt Image:CopticCross7Modified.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:CopticCross7Modified.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Ghaly, IngerAlHaosului File:Vierge filant 01.JPG Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Vierge_filant_01.JPG License: GNU Free Documentation License Contributors: User:Clio20 File:Pilgrim flask St. Menas Louvre MN1469.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Pilgrim_flask_St._Menas_Louvre_MN1469.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Contributors: User:Jastrow File:StAnne-Faras-MNW.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:StAnne-Faras-MNW.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: AnonMoos, BurgererSF, Ejdzej, G.dallorto, JMCC1, Shakko, Sven-steffen arndt File:Faras capitel.png Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Faras_capitel.png License: GNU General Public License Contributors: Udimu File:Sudan Farras fresco of cathedral 22dez2005.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Sudan_Farras_fresco_of_cathedral_22dez2005.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Bestiasonica, Dustsucker, Ejdzej, G.dallorto, JMCC1, Mr. bobby, Shakko, Slomox, Sven-steffen arndt, 2 anonymous edits File:Coptic icon with an archangel.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Coptic_icon_with_an_archangel.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: User:Mountain File:ChristCopticArt.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:ChristCopticArt.jpg License: unknown Contributors: Original uploader was Afanous at en.wikipedia File:StAnthony.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:StAnthony.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: User Afanous on en.wikipedia File:StDemiana4.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:StDemiana4.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Lanternix File:StMaurice2.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:StMaurice2.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Original uploader was Lanternix at en.wikipedia File:StMina4.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:StMina4.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Bwpach, Lanternix File:SaintPishoy.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:SaintPishoy.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Lanternix License
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