Mummy Portrait of a Bearded Man

A.D. 140–160

Medium

Encaustic on lime wood, linen

Dimensions

43 × 22.5 cm

Status

In Museum Collection

Collect24 Art ID

C24-135907

In Roman Egypt, funerary portraits were painted on panels to be placed over the faces of the dead and encased within the wrappings of mummies in preparation for burial. The lush, full beard, luxuriant hair and deeply intense gaze of this youthful man are stylistic features commensurate with male portrait sculpture of the Antonine period (AD 138-192). This suggests a date in the mid-second century, for which Carbon-14 dating of the textiles adhering to the panel provides further support. The hair was painted with a lighter brown under-layer with shades of black, gray and brown curls applied atop it. The curls painted on the outer edge have a very lean, almost tempera-like appearance. The background is painted off-white and there are no added details such as gilding. The absence of clothing and indication of nudity (the bare chest) is notable. A sub-set of funerary portraits, all male nudes, may suggest a religious confraternity, however this theory remains unsubstantiated. The portrait is in fair to poor condition and is heavily restored: reworking is evident by the appearance of both ancient and modern wax on the surface.