Elderly Man Flanked by Egyptian Gods
Creator Name
Cultural Context
Date
Source
About the work
Curationist Object DescriptionThis funerary painting of an elderly man is an example of a Fayum portrait. These portraits of Greco-Egyptian elites during Roman Imperial rule functioned as mummy masks for the deceased person.
The portraits required expensive materials and craftsmanship to produce, but there are class distinctions in materials. Many artists used encaustic, which was costly and labor-intensive. This portrait is in tempera, which was easier to produce and use. The resulting portrait is cheaper, but lacks the visual depth and permanence of encaustic.
Tempera has a longer history in Egyptian art than encaustic. It is suited to the two-dimensional style of hieroglyphics. Fittingly, the man is flanked by two Egyptian gods, the falcon god Horus and a ram representing the soul of Re or Khnum. They were drawn in outline, without shading or coloring, after the rest of the portrait.
Read more on Egyptian religious symbolism in funerary portraiture.
The portraits required expensive materials and craftsmanship to produce, but there are class distinctions in materials. Many artists used encaustic, which was costly and labor-intensive. This portrait is in tempera, which was easier to produce and use. The resulting portrait is cheaper, but lacks the visual depth and permanence of encaustic.
Tempera has a longer history in Egyptian art than encaustic. It is suited to the two-dimensional style of hieroglyphics. Fittingly, the man is flanked by two Egyptian gods, the falcon god Horus and a ram representing the soul of Re or Khnum. They were drawn in outline, without shading or coloring, after the rest of the portrait.
Read more on Egyptian religious symbolism in funerary portraiture.
Metropolitan Museum of Art Object Description
Panel painting, elderly man
Work details
"--" = no data available
= Curationist added metadata(Learn more)Title
Creator
Worktype
Cultural Context
Material
Dimensions
Technique
--
Language
--
Date
Provenance
Style Period
Rights
Inscription
--
Location
Source
Subjects
Topic
Curationist Metadata Contributors
All Works in Curationist’s archives can be reproduced and used freely. How to attribute this Work:
Unknown, Elderly Man Flanked by Egyptian Gods, circa 250. Metropolitan Museum of Art. A portrait of an elderly man with a beard flanked by two Egyptian gods, the falcon god Horus and a ram representing the soul of Re or Khnum. Public Domain.
Help us improve this content!
Let our archivists know if you have something to add.
Save this work.
Start an account to add this work to your personal curated collection.
