Fayum Mummy Portrait 

This Fayum Mummy Portrait, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, depicts a young man wearing a laurel wreath. The portrait, executed in encaustic (wax-based paint) on a wooden panel, is a striking example of Roman-era portraiture in Egypt. These portraits, typically painted during the 1st to 3rd centuries CE, were placed over the faces of mummies, providing a lasting image of the deceased. The intense gaze and realistic detail of the portrait are characteristic of the Fayum style, reflecting the influence of Roman portraiture.