Ancient artists from Roman-period Egypt created portraits on wooden panels to be placed on mummified bodies. The main technique used for these portraits was encaustic (wax) painting. The exhibition "Funerary Portraits from Roman Egypt: Facing Forward," foregrounds scientific analysis and technical research conducted by staff in the Harvard Art Museums’ Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies. Women in mummy portraits usually wear colorful clothing, and it may be that the white garment refers to the professional orientation of the deceased as a scribe. The band over this woman’s shoulder originates in the broad purple stripe (clavus) worn by Roman senators, but is more a sign of cultural allegiance to Rome than a mark of office here. This portrait is on view in the Unversity Research Gallery between August 27, 2022–December 30, 2022. Come face to face with portraits of Egyptians who lived during the Roman period and discover what role these images played in funerary rituals as well as what modern technical study can reveal about ancient artistic practices. Featuring several painted portrait panels, sculptural portraits, and a linen burial shroud, this tightly focused exhibition asks visitors to reflect upon objects that represent the deceased and were once intimately connected with their bodies. The exact findspots and details of the excavation and dismantling of these objects were not recorded; and while the portraits present seemingly familiar faces, we can never fully know the people behind them. So what more can we learn from the objects themselves? TAKE A CLOSER LOOK: + Portrait of a Woman, c. Second half second century CE, Egyptian Roman Imperial period. Harvard Art Museums, Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., 1939.111. https://hvrd.art/o/291707 + Explore more via the exhibition digital tool: https://harvardartmuseums.org/tour/funerary-portraits-from-roman-egypt-facing-forward-2 +Visit the exhibition "Funerary Portraits from Roman Egypt:" https://harvardartmuseums.org/funeraryportraits --- Video: August 27, 2022. Videographer: John Neely. © President and Fellows of Harvard College. For questions related to permission for commercial use of this video, please contact the Department of Digital Imaging and Visual Resources at am_divr@harvard.edu.