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Portrait of a Man Wearing a Laurel Wreath

A work made of lime (linden) wood, beeswax, pigments, gold, textile, and natural resin.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of lime (linden) wood, beeswax, pigments, gold, textile, and natural resin.

Date:

Roman Period, early to mid–2nd century

Artist:

Egyptian; The Fayum, Egypt

About this artwork

This portrait belongs to a large group of similar works known as “Fayum portraits,” so-named for the region in northern Egypt in which many have been discovered. To create this man’s likeness, the artist painted a thin piece of wood with encaustic, or pigmented wax, a medium that not only gave the impression of three-dimensionality but also resisted fading and deterioration in the dry climate of Egypt. These highly individualized and lifelike portraits conveyed the wealth and status of the person depicted through clothing, jewelry, and other embellishments, such as the gold wreath of laurels worn by this man.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Africa

Cultures

Ancient Egyptian , Ancient Roman

Title

Portrait of a Man Wearing a Laurel Wreath

Places

Al Fayyum (Object made in), Ancient Egypt (Object made in), Roman Empire (Object made in)

Date

101 CE-150 CE

Medium

Lime (linden) wood, beeswax, pigments, gold, textile, and natural resin

Dimensions

41.9 × 24.1 × 0.2 cm (16 1/2 × 9 1/2 × 1/8 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Emily Crane Chadbourne

Reference Number

1922.4799

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/5520/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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