Join paintings conservator Sally Woodcock and conservation scientist Narayan Khandekar for a conversation about the troubling and long-standing use of mummy brown pigment. "Funerary Portraits from Roman Egypt: Facing Forward" is a collaborative effort drawing from the expertise of staff across the museums and other members of our community. On view through December 30, 2022, the exhibition invites visitors to reflect upon objects that represent the deceased and were once intimately connected with their bodies. It foregrounds artistic processes and technical research but also draws attention to the complicated histories of these objects. TAKE A CLOSER LOOK: + Read Sally Woodcock's article "Mummy Brown: A Modern Pigment’s Problematic Past:" https://harvardartmuseums.org/tour/funerary-portraits-from-roman-egypt-facing-forward-2/slide/12414 + Tubes of "Mummy" pigment, purchased from the pigment manufacturer Charles Roberson and Co. in the early 1900s. Forbes Pigment Collection, Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, Harvard Art Museums, Straus.17. https://hvrd.art/o/324206 + Read Rowan Frame's aricle "The Problem with Butimen," in Materia: https://issue-2.materiajournal.com/frame/ + Visit the exhibition "Funerary Portraits from Roman Egypt:" https://harvardartmuseums.org/funeraryportraits SPEAKERS: + Sally Woodcock, Paul Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Cambridge; + Narayan Khandekar, Director and Senior Conservation Scientist, Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, Harvard Art Museums TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - Land Acknowledgement 00:40 - Introduction to Sally Woodcock 02:24 - What is Mummy Brown? 05:02 - Why did artists use Mummy Brown pigment? 11:12 - Roberson & Co: archival accounts of Mummy pigmentmaker 13:59 - How did Mummy Brown end up in the Forbes pigment collection? 17:00 - Current shifts in perceptions of Mummy Brown and display of mummified human remains 24:16 - Q&A with audience 25:05 - What is Mummy Brown pigment composed of? 26:23 - Medicinal use of mummified remains & ties to tourism Support for this exhibition is provided by the Kelekian Fund, the Christopher and Jean Angell Charitable Fund, and the Kornfeld Foundation (through Christopher Angell). Related programming is supported by the M. Victor Leventritt Lecture Series Endowment Fund. ---- All images and graphics used in the video belong to their respective owners and this channel does not claim any right over them. Copyright Disclaimer: Any use of copyrighted content on this channel constitutes “fair use” pursuant to 17 U.S. Code § 107 as it is utilized for the purpose of criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Video Thumbnail: Tubes of "Mummy" pigment, purchased from the pigment manufacturer Charles Roberson and Co. in the early 1900s. Forbes Pigment Collection, Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies, Harvard Art Museums, Straus.17. https://hvrd.art/o/324206 Archival materials: ‘Pictures painted with mummies’, Illustrated Mail, October 17, 1903. Roberson archive, Hamilton Kerr Institute, Cambridge. Disclaimer: This presentation does contain images of mummified individuals. There are exposed human remains displayed in the archival materials discussed. Recorded October 12, 2022. © President and Fellows of Harvard College. For questions related to permission for commercial use of this video, please contact the Department of Digital Imaging and Visual Resources at am_divr@harvard.edu. #harvardartmuseums #pigments #historyofcolor