Portrait of a Youth with a Surgical Cut in One Eye 

This Fayum portrait, an encaustic painting on wood, is a striking example of Roman-Egyptian art. It depicts a young man, likely a deceased individual, with a subtle, yet noticeable, surgical cut over his right eye. The use of encaustic, a technique that involves mixing pigments with wax, gives the portrait a unique vibrancy and depth. These portraits, commonly found in the ancient Egyptian city of Fayum, were used as funerary effigies, meant to depict the deceased in lifelike detail, offering a glimpse into the beauty standards and artistic traditions of the era.