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Notes
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This painted portrait on wooden board acted as a ‘death mask’ to be bound to its subject after mummification and before burial. The identity of the sitter portrayed here is unknown. The purpose of the mask was to preserve the deceased’s image after death. The portraits would often be painted during a person’s lifetime and displayed in the home until they died, meaning subjects were immortalised at their most youthful and attractive. The vivid colours were made from hot beeswax mixed with coloured pigments painted onto a wooden board. In the late nineteenth century Egyptian artefacts became fashionable collectables in Europe, making Victorian explorers and ‘tomb raiders’ race to uncover new artworks and treasures. Sigmund Freud was a passionate collector of antiquities.
Title
Fayum Mummy Portrait of a Man with Curly Hair and Beard*
Date
AD 250–300
Medium
tempera on wood
Measurements
H 35.6 x W 19.1 cm
Accession number
4947
Acquisition method
acquired by Sigmund Freud
Work type
Painting