Gavin Jones on the Art of Tattooing.
Preserved tattoos on ancient mummified human remains reveal that tattooing has been practiced throughout the world for millennia.
Gavin will use sketchbook studies and concept sketches through to examples of finished tattoos and breaking down his process. He’ll showcase how classical study techniques are being applied not only to the illustrative side of tattooing but to the process of tattooing itself.
Gavin Jones on the Art of Tattooing – tattoo of lady wearing a hat
Enclycopeadia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/art/tattoo
A tattoo – a permanent mark or design made on the body by introducing pigment through ruptures in the skin.
Tattooing proper is a practice that takes place around the world. That said it’s rare among those with the darkest skin colour and tends to not exist in most of China.
Various peoples believe that tattooed designs offer magical protection against sickness or bad luck. Or they can serve to identify the wearer’s range, status or membership in a group. Decoration is the most common motive for tattooing.
If certain marks on the skin of the Iceman, a mummified human body dating from about 3300 BCE, are tattoos, then they represent the earliest known evidence of the practice.
Egyptian and Nubian mummies dating from approximately 2000 BCE had tattoos. And Classical authors in relation to the Thracians, Greeks, Gauls, ancient Germans, and ancient Britons mentioned their use.
The Romans tattooed criminals and slaves. After the advent of Christianity, tattooing was forbidden in Europe. But it persisted in the Middle East and in other parts of the world.
About the Friends
The Friends of Museum and Art Swindon (FMAS) is a voluntary organisation. It promotes and publicises Swindon Museum and Art Gallery and its activities to as wide a public as possible. It raises funds to buy new items for the museum and encourages sponsorship for the improvement of the collections and facilities.
We’re a registered charity – Charity No. 1050267. We launched in July 1993 with a talk by our patron, the surrealist painter and zoologist, Dr Desmond Morris.
When and where
Our talks take place in the council chamber in Swindon’s civic offices on Euclid Street. Doors open at 7pm.
£8 for members and £10 for non-members.
Date/Time
Date(s) - 31/07/2025
7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
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