ClassificationsAncient Egyptian Art

Mummy Portrait of Sarapon

AAT Object Form/Functionmummy portraits

AAT Object Techniquepainting (image-making)

Place CreatedFaiyum, Egypt, Africa

CultureEgyptian

PeriodRoman Period

Dateca. 2nd Century CE

MediumWood, paint

Credit LineMohamed Farid Khamis/Oriental Weavers Fund

Dimensions13 1/4 x 16 1/2 in. (33.7 x 41.9 cm)

Object number2004.048.001

Label TextAlthough the practice of mummification continued during the Roman Period, the decoration of the body underwent significant changes, the most striking being the replacement of the mummy mask with a painted panel. Instead of an idealized mask traditionally modeled in plaster or cartonnage, a wood panel was inserted into the mummy wrappings. The face and shoulders of the deceased were rendered in encaustic, a pigmented wax, or tempera, in a more natural, Hellenistic style. There is evidence that these portraits were executed well before the death of the individual, and even displayed in the home. The majority of the panels have been excavated in the Fayum region, resulting in the somewhat inaccurate modern designation "Fayum portrait." This portrait represents a young man, wearing a white tunic, with a mass of curly black hair. His face has the softness of youth, emphasized by the full, almost sensuous mouth. The eyes are large, wide-set, and heavily rimmed, with an arresting gaze. The label to the right gives his names as Sarapon, son of Haresas. The shape of the label mimics that of a so-called "mummy tag", a marker attached to the body, usually made of wood, inscribed with the name and filiations of the deceased.
Exhibition HistoryPhiladelphia Museum of Art [L-358-25], 1950s
From Pharaohs to Emperors: New Egyptian and Classical Antiquities at Emory, Michael C. Carlos Museum, January 14 - April 2, 2006
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, 2006 - March 13, 2018
MCCM Permanent Collection Galleries, March 25, 2024 - Present
Published ReferencesKlaus Parlasca, Mumienportrats und verwandte Denkmaler (Wiesbaden: Franz Steiner Verlag GMBH, 1966), 81-82, 259, Taf. 28,1.
Sotheby's New York, Arcade Furniture, Decorative Works of Art & Carpets (March 30 & 31, 2004), lot 19.
Madeline L. Beck, "The Mummy Portrait of Sarapon from Fayum," Proceedings of the National Conference of Undergraduate Research (Memphis: University of Memphis, 2017): 1115-21.

ProvenanceWith Dikran Kelekian (1867-1951), Paris, France, first half of 20th Century. Ex coll. Vera (1888-1966) and Samuel Stockton (1876-1952) White III, Ardmore, Pennsylvania. Ex coll. Jonas Senter (1917-2001), New York and Connecticut. Sotheby's New York, March 30, 2004, lot 19. Purchased by MCCM from Howard Nowes Ancient Art, New York, New York.

Status

On view

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