Mummy Portrait of a Man 50

Editor: Here we have "Mummy Portrait of a Man" painted around 50 AD, likely in Egypt. It's oil paint, a technique that still feels quite modern! I am struck by the man's direct gaze. It's so incredibly lifelike for something so ancient! What can you tell us about it? Curator: Isn't it amazing? It’s like gazing across millennia. These Fayum portraits weren’t just art, they were a liminal object, straddling worlds, affixed to mummies of the deceased. But they are very Roman, wouldn’t you say? Like looking at imperial portraiture of the time... yet placed in ancient Egyptian tombs, as a final viewing of the body before burial. Think of the weight of that last glimpse! And that haunting oil, a medium we still use for preserving *our* visions. What does it say to you that death in the classical world was painted in oil? Editor: I suppose it brings the sense of permanence that we still associate with the medium today, giving the impression of everlasting memory! He feels very Roman with that short haircut. I’m also struck by how... individual he seems. Were all mummy portraits like this? Curator: Ah, there's the key, that unique human spirit! They vary immensely, from crude and primitive images to masterpieces. These weren’t mass-produced; they were individual commissions, mirroring the sitter, though perhaps ideally... or how *they* wanted to be seen. We still commission our own final photographs. Perhaps he wanted his intellect captured. He is so wise, so knowing… do you think? Editor: It's strange to imagine being able to choose how people remember you forever. It really makes you consider legacy. Curator: Exactly. We each crave a way to extend our moment, don't we? It's as relevant today as it was then. In fact, with Instagram and TikTok, what a burden of performance it has all become.