Portrait of a bearded young man,

ca. 130–160 CE

In Roman Egypt, painted portraits became a popular alternative to the masks that had traditionally accompanied the coffins of mummified individuals. These portraits are sometimes referred to as “Faiyum portraits” because many examples have been found in cemeteries in the Faiyum—an area south of Cairo on the west bank of the Nile. Most portraits, like this one, were created through the application of color pigments mixed with beeswax and painted onto wooden panels. The deep shadows, three-quarter view, and realistic details, like the man’s furrowed brow, possibly originate with Greek painting styles. The popularity of painted portraits did not end the creation of more traditional masks, as highlighted by another, roughly contemporary mask in this case, but rather suggests the range of options available in second-century CE Egypt.