Portrait of a thin-faced man
Roman Period
Not on view
Among the best surviving examples of Roman painting styles are portraits on panels, which were preserved because of their use in burials in Egypt. The free, quick brushstrokes and subtly modeled colors on this work resemble those on the contemporary and later Byzantine paintings on fabric from Egypt also in this gallery. The costly gold of the wreath and background was added after the panel had been inserted into a mummy wrapping. We do not know the identity of this "thin-faced" man, but the expensive painting materials and complex burial method point to the man’s elite status.
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