Creative Commons Licensed (or Other Fair Use with Copyright) ‘Mummy’ Portraits
So-called ‘mummy’ portraits (mostly from the Fayum/Faiyum cemetery in Hawara, Egypt) were realistic likenesses of the deceased painted on wood or linen. Only the wealthy could afford them. These individuals were Roman citizens. Roman Egypt’s population was of mixed heritage: Greek, Italian, & north African.
Portrait of a man. The narrow stripes on his tunic indicate that he is of equestrian rank. Romano-Egyptian, c. 190-230 CE. Encaustic painting on wood. Possibly painted in Antinoé, Egypt.
Citation: Image courtesy of the Musée du Louvre, Paris; Dept of Egyptian Antiquities (AF 6883). © 1998 Musée du Louvre, Dist. GrandPalaisRmn / Georges Poncet. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
Portrait of an officer with his sword belt. Romano-Egyptian, ca. 150 CE. His tunic’s stripe denotes equestrian rank.
Citation: Image courtesy of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (Inv. 31161, 3). CC BY-SA 4.0
Sarcophagus, decorated with gold-leaf mythological figures, with a portrait of a Greek youth named Artemidorus (aged 19-21). Portrait: encaustic on limewood. Body case also has a Greek inscription (below the portrait and above Anubis): ΑΡΤΕΜΙΔΩΕ ΕΥΨΥΧΙ (O Artemidorus, Fare well). Artemidorus’ burial exemplifies the cultural syncretism typifying Roman Egypt. Roman period, early 2nd c. CE. Found at Fayum, Hawara, Egypt.
Citation: Image courtesy of the British Museum. Asset no. 167363001. © The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.
‘Mummy’ Mask/cartonnage. Her veil has a painted Greek inscription: Aphrodite, daughter of Dides, aged 20. The necklace plaque around her neck has Demeter & Harpocrates (Horus). Roman period, can. 50-70 CE. Found at Fayum, Hawara, Egypt.
Citation: Image courtesy of the British Museum. Asset no. 103454001. © The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.
Portrait of a man. Encaustic on limewood. Roman period, ca. 80 CE – 100 CE. His narrow crimson bands suggest he is of equestrian rank. From Fayum in Hawara, Egypt.
Citation: Image courtesy of the British Museum. Asset no. 496517001. © The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.
Portrait of a woman. Encaustic on oak. Roman period, ca. 200 CE. From Fayum, Egypt. The crimpson color of her garment, along with her gold jewelry, mark her high status.
Citation: Image courtesy of the British Museum. Asset no. 171898001. © The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.
Portrait of a young woman. Encaustic on limewood. Roman period, ca. 200 CE. The portrait’s style and gilding indicate she is from a very wealthy family. From Saqqara (near Memphis) Egypt.
Citation: Image courtesy of the British Museum. Asset no. 193245001. © The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.
Portrait of a woman. Encaustic on limewood. Roman Period, ca. 190 CE – 220 CE. Found at Fayum, Hawara, Egypt.
Citation: Image courtesy of the British Museum. Asset no. 315259001. © The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.
Portrait of a woman. Encaustic on limewood. The shape of her face and high cheekbones recall Cyrenaican portraits. Roman period, ca.160 CE – 180 CE. Found at Fayum, Hawara, Egypt.
Citation: Image courtesy of the British Museum. Asset no. 277374001. © The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.
Portrait of an adolescent boy. Roman period, ca. 100 CE – 120 CE. Found at Fayum, Hawara, Egypt.
Citation: Image courtesy of the British Museum. Asset no. 415626001. © The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.
Portrait of a young boy, around 3-5 years old. Roman period, ca. 40 CE -55 CE. Found at Fayum, Hawara, Egypt.
Citation: Image courtesy of the British Museum. Asset no. 298870001. © The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.
Portrait of a young man. Encaustic on wood. Roman period, c. 150-210 CE. The red strip indicates he is of equestrian rank. Photo taken by MatthiasKabel on Nov. 15, 2008 at the Munich Glyptothek and Ancient Collections/Staatliche Antikensammlungen (Inv. 15013). CC BY-SA 2.0.
