Mummy Portrait of a Young Man 125

This Fayum mummy portrait, created around 125 AD, depicts a young man with a contemplative gaze. The encaustic painting, a technique using heated wax, is applied directly to the linen that would have covered the deceased's face in a burial. These portraits, found primarily in the Fayum region of Egypt, are believed to have been used as a way to represent the deceased and ensure their passage into the afterlife.