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Funerary portrait of a woman
Egyptian
Roman Imperial Period
about A.D. 100
Medium/Technique
Tempera on wood (possibly cedar or oak)
Dimensions
Height x width: 30.1 x 7.8 cm (11 7/8 x 3 1/16 in.)
Credit Line
Everett Fund, Benjamin Pierce Cheney Donation, and contribution
Accession Number93.1451
NOT ON VIEW
ClassificationsTomb equipment – Masks
DescriptionCentral portion of a wood panel containing the mummy portrait of a woman (the portrait was painted as a "mask" for her mummy). She is portrayed as a young woman, with light brown eyes, arching brows, and dark brown hair swept up into a bun with corkscrew curls framing the face. She wears a purple chiton and himation and a pair of chokers. Romans living in Egypt (some of Greek descent from the time when the Ptolemies ruled) adopted local Egyptian burial practices and were embalmed.
ProvenanceSaid to come from el-Rubaiyat in the Faiyum. 1887, probably acquired in Egypt by Theodor Graf (b. 1840 - d. 1903) Vienna; 1893, sold by Graf to the MFA. (Accession Date: January 1, 1893)