Mummy Portrait of An Old Man Anagoria 

This Fayum portrait, an encaustic painting on wood, depicts an older man with a graying beard. Dating back to Roman Egypt between c. 50-250 AD, it is a striking example of the realism and individualistic style characteristic of Fayum portraiture. These portraits were often placed over the faces of mummies as a way to preserve the deceased’s likeness for the afterlife. The painting’s current location in the Alte Nationalgalerie in Berlin, Germany, allows for the study and appreciation of this intriguing art form.