Facsimile painting from the temple of Mentuhotep II 2051 BC

This is a facsimile painting of a fragment from the temple of Mentuhotep II, made by Charles K. Wilkinson. Look at the washes of creamy yellows and warm browns, gently modeling the form. It reminds me that a copy can have its own strange power. Wilkinson wasn’t just replicating; he was interpreting, deciding what to emphasize. It’s like he’s trying to understand what it was like to be an Egyptian artist so, so long ago. I wonder what he was thinking about as he worked? Did he feel connected to them, those anonymous artists from so long ago? There's a real tenderness in the way he's rendered the details, like the pattern on the robe. It’s not just about accuracy; it’s about feeling the weight of history, the flow of time. And that’s what painting is all about, right? A conversation across centuries, a way of touching the past.