Mummy and Portrait of Demetrios

This portrait of an elite Greco-Egyptian man is affixed to a mummy, likely the sitter. Writings on the mummy wrappings indicate he is Demetrios, who died at 59 years old.

Ancient Egyptians believed that the soul lived after death if the body was preserved. Mummification was thus fundamental to the Egyptian afterlife starting in at least 2500 BCE. After curing and wrapping the body in linen, priests affixed a mask, typically made of cartonnage. During the Roman Imperial period, elite Greco-Egyptians used individualized wood-panel portraits as masks.

Demetrios’ shroud includes Egyptian symbols of divinity applied with expensive lead paint imported to Egypt from Spain. He wears a gilded laurel wreath. The expensive materials and inclusion of his biographical details indicate Demetrios was a man of importance who wished to have his status, as well as his soul, preserved for eternity. Read more about displays of status in Fayum portraits.