Asians Bringing Gifts from the East 1479 BC

Hugh Hopgood made this facsimile of an ancient Egyptian wall painting using watercolor. The original would have been made with mineral pigments, applied to a prepared plaster surface. The physical properties of watercolor allow for a translucent and layered effect, which Hopgood used to capture the texture and color variations of the original painting. It is interesting to consider how the labor of the original artisans – quarrying, grinding, and mixing pigments to create the paints – contrasts with Hopgood's own artistic process of replicating that labor. Consider also the original social context of this mural: the materials, like lapis lazuli, may have been sourced through trade, and the final image would have been a display of wealth and power. Hopgood's facsimile, made with relatively inexpensive materials, prompts us to think about the value we assign to artworks, and the complex ways in which they reflect labor, trade, and cultural exchange.