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Palace of Wonders (Leila)

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Post  Malakiel Tue Aug 14, 2012 9:09 pm

Leila was wandering around the room, there were indeed many pieces of art but surprisingly most of them wasn't known by her, specially Leila who had a very enlighted knowledge about academics and art. Another surprise were the ones she could recognize, most valuated for at least half a millon dollars each. She recognized one Caravaggio, one Dali and two rodin

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However, the most shocking was this Fayum mummy portait, usually buried with the mummies in Egypt. What was fascinating about this annonymous piece of wood was the face in it, it was Elie's face.
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Post  Leila Tue Aug 14, 2012 9:36 pm

Leila looked at each piece and stopped at the few she knew she recognized. She had a familiarity with them particularly the mummy. It was from her own culture but this technique was used over a thousand years ago... How could there be something here that old? She looked at it more carefully, touched it gently and realized the face on it was of her grandsire. Was it really him? Her eyes narrowed studying it. No doubt it was him. She looked at each piece again realizing they were all from centuries ago.

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Post  Malakiel Tue Aug 14, 2012 9:43 pm

Mummy portraits or Fayum mummy portraits (also Faiyum mummy portraits) is the modern term given to a type of naturalistic painted portraits on wooden boards attached to mummies from the Coptic period. They belong to the tradition of panel painting, one of the most highly regarded forms of art in the Classical world. In fact, the Fayum portraits are the only large body of art from that tradition to have survived.

Mummy portraits have been found across Egypt, but are most common in the Faiyum Basin, particularly from Hawara and Antinoopolis, hence the common name. "Faiyum Portraits" is generally thought of as a stylistic, rather than a geographic, description. While painted Cartonnage mummy cases date back to pharaonic times, the Faiyum mummy portraits were an innovation dating to the Coptic period on time of the Roman occupation of Egypt.[1]

They date to the Roman period, from the late 1st century BCE or the early 1st century CE onwards. It is not clear when their production ended, but recent research suggests the middle of the 3rd century. They are among the largest groups among the very few survivors of the highly prestigious panel painting tradition of the classical world, which was continued into Byzantine and Western traditions in the post-classical world, including the local tradition of Coptic iconography in Egypt.

The portraits covered the faces of bodies that were mummified for burial. Extant examples indicate that they were mounted into the bands of cloth that were used to wrap the bodies. Almost all have now been detached from the mummies. They usually depict a single person, showing the head, or head and upper chest, viewed frontally. In terms of artistic tradition, the images clearly derive more from Graeco-Roman traditions than Egyptian ones.

Two groups of portraits can be distinguished by technique: one of encaustic (wax) paintings, the other in tempera. The former are usually of higher quality.

About 900 mummy portraits are known at present. The majority were found in the necropoleis of Faiyum. Due to the hot dry Egyptian climate, the paintings are frequently very well preserved, often retaining their brilliant colours seemingly unfaded by time.

[1] The "Coptic period" is an informal designation for Late Antiquity in Egypt, an era defined by the religious shifts in Egyptian culture to Coptic Christianity from paganism until the Muslim conquest of Egypt. It began in about the 3rd century, and depending on sources and usage, lasted until either around the noticeable decline of Christianity in Egypt, in the 9th century, or to the arrival of Islam in the 7th century. Although the term is widely utilized in popular discourse, its use in academia is generally avoided due to its imprecise nature, whereas "Late Antiquity" or "Byzantine Egypt" can be defined on chronological grounds.

The Coptic Orthodox form of Christianity, still has many followers in its country of origin.

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Post  Leila Tue Aug 14, 2012 10:03 pm

Leila stepped back a bit to look at the whole piece. Upon further examination she could now recall exactly what time period this was from... Over two thousand years ago... possibly before Christ. Was Elie over two thousand years old? Her mouth gaped open at the realization. She started to mumble and rant in her native tongue. Rambling on about the history of the Fayum mummy's and the time period, about the inconceivability surrounding the lifespan and about the possibility that she could see that many years as well all hit her.

Her thoughts continued in her head after she realized how strongly her Arabic was taking over. She started to wonder what kind of power Elie held. The guards of his domain came forefront in her mind and she wondered if he possessed them. What other mysteries lie in this place, things so ancient and rare? Her mind was spinning.
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Post  Leila Tue Aug 14, 2012 10:26 pm

She looked around the room again for anything that was odd or out of place. Noticing the carpet initially. Were there any other doors off this room? She even inspected the ceiling and the floors.
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Post  Malakiel Tue Aug 14, 2012 10:49 pm

Mysterious indeed, the nefarious room was full with pieces of diabolism. The carpet full with beastialism between unicorns, chimeras and other mythical beast and humans. All these decorations would have blushed any decent person, full with sex, violence and monstrousity. Just a few pieces of art weren't related to that, and those were very interesting indeed.

There was an old painting, it was very realistic, almost a picture more than a painting. A portrait of a very elegant woman, beautifully dressed in a white gown, thick and cotton like. This woman had blushed cheek and gorgeus blue eyes, blonde and stuning; immortalized perfection. The level of detail was amazing, something beyond the reach of human techniques, the painting was made in oil but it was almost imposible to see the trace of the brush, or any flaw at all. It was indeed mesmerizing.

Leila looked at the painting a for a few seconds, and then she noticed a gesture. It couldn't be! the woman in the painting was looking back at her!
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Post  Leila Wed Aug 15, 2012 10:52 am

That carpet was very unusual. She couldn't help wonder who would make such a thing. How was there a market for such violence and bestial carnage. Well obviously it suited vampires and many of the other creatures that haunt the earth. She was not ignorant about being the only species of supernatural species in existence. There were demons, whatever Chester was and Sorraya's father, the shapeshifter. So many things that would make humans tremble. She kept looking finding herself uncomfortable with the lingering thought of the threats to her existence.

Leila found herself enraptured by a painting, too beautiful to have actually been painted. She was consuming every perfect and impossible detail, until she realized that it was watching her. She blinked several times in disbelief then moved several feet away still watching it as it watched her.

"H-hello?"

She whispered in a small voice to the painting, wondering if it was real if it could speak to her.
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Post  Malakiel Wed Aug 15, 2012 10:57 am

There was no response, not a move, just the sensation of being observed by it.
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Post  Leila Wed Aug 15, 2012 11:37 am

It was difficult for her to break her gaze from the odd painting after her rather embarrassing attempt to talk to it. She went back to studying mire pieces until Pillar returned.
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Post  Malakiel Wed Aug 15, 2012 12:03 pm

After a while of roaming around, looking at many other pieces of art, including tortures devices from ancient times, Pillar came back alone. He said with a formal tone in his voice.
"I'm ready Leila. Will you depart with me?"
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Post  Leila Wed Aug 15, 2012 12:24 pm

Leila nodded.

"Yes I am ready to go. Thank you for offering the ride."
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