Making faces
Why do people depict faces in certain ways?
We make judgements about people based on their faces, so naturally when we depict a face we're usually trying to convey something about who it belongs to. In every culture people make artistic decisions when they make faces: to show that someone or something is important, or powerful, or similar to a certain animal, or attractive, or that they possess any other attribute - or just to make the viewer laugh!
Portrait of Thomas Reid (1710-1764) by James Tassie
London, 1791
To have one's portrait made by Tassie was to be among "the first people in the Kingdom". His portraits, cast in glass made to resemble marble, were classical in style referencing the prestige of the ancient world. Thomas Reid was a philosopher who worked at Marischal and King’s College in Aberdeen.
Hei tiki
New Zealand, 18th – 19th century
An amulet handed from generation to generation. The original meaning of the figure's strangely shaped face and body is not recorded in Māori knowledge, but has been speculated to represent a newborn infant, a person performing the haka (sticking their tongue out), or result from re-carving adze blades and fitting a human form into their shape.
Bes amulet
Egypt, unknown date
The ancient Egyptian god Bes was considered a protector of households. Usually, Egyptian gods are depicted in profile, but Bes faces forward to frighten away enemies.
Mermaid carving
India, 1895
Human or human-like faces attached to animal bodies appear in cultures around the world. This carving appears to have been created for comic effect: the monstrous creature is admiring itself in a mirror.
