ticketsMember | Make a donation

Elderly Man Flanked by Egyptian Gods

Roman Period
ca. A.D. 250
Not on view
This old man is painted in tempera on a fairly thick wooden panel. Drawn in black ink above his left shoulder is the falcon god Horus before a horned altar. Above his right shoulder is a ram wearing the composite atef crown. The ram represents a deity of the underworld (either the ba, or soul, of the sun god Re by night or the god Khnum) and is juxtaposed with Horus, a sky god.

Tempera portraits are matte and lack the relief effect created by encaustic paints. The tempera technique has long roots in Egyptian tradition. Because the medium does not cover well, wood panels were usually covered first with white gesso to enhance the colors. Because colors dry quickly and do not blend as encaustic does, tones were achieved by overpainting thin layers of color. Judging from its thickness and the five holes, this panel was tied onto a mummy or coffin rather than inserted within the wrappings.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Elderly Man Flanked by Egyptian Gods
  • Period: Roman Period
  • Date: ca. A.D. 250
  • Geography: From Egypt
  • Medium: Tempera on sycomore wood
  • Dimensions: H. 38 cm. (14 15/16 in.); W. 22.4 cm (8 13/16 in.)
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1944
  • Object Number: 44.2.2
  • Curatorial Department: Egyptian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Portrait of the Boy Eutyches, Encaustic on wood
Portrait of the Boy Eutyches
A.D. 100–150
Encaustic portrait of a man, Encaustic on wood
On loan to The Met
Encaustic portrait of a man
A.D. 161–180
Shroud of a Woman Wearing a Fringed Tunic, Linen, paint (tempera)
Shroud of a Woman Wearing a Fringed Tunic
A.D. 170–200
Mummy with an Inserted Panel Portrait of a Youth, Mummified human body with linen and mummification material; panel portrait: encaustic on limewood
Mummy with an Inserted Panel Portrait of a Youth
A.D. 80–100
Coffin panel with painting of a bier, Wood, paint
Coffin panel with painting of a bier
100–300

Related Content

Perspectives

Articles, audio, and video from The Met's online magazine.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.