(artist unknown) (100 to 120). Hawara Mummy [body preserved in the Egyptian technique and style, linen, gilded stucco buttons and portrait]. The British Museum, London.

The Hawara Mummy, one of hundreds of mummified remains from the period of Roman domination of Egypt, represents a blending of Roman and Egyptian burial traditions. The family of this young boy wanted the observer to know his face, disposition, and that he was loved. His expression is calm, suggesting that he is in a restful state in death as his disposition was placid in life. It’s possible that the break from the Roman tradition of cremation was more than simply following a local custom, but that the family fully expected their loved one to enjoy the afterlife fully intact, in the manner of Egyptian belief spanning dozens of centuries.

Vestiges of the ancient, near-Neolithic western habit of emphasizing and arching eyebrows is clear, though they are separated as they would be in reality. The detailing and alternation in value in the boy’s expressive eyes generates the most interest and relatability to the portrait. The technique of placing a realistic portrait in place of the deceased’s face is called Fayum, as in this case, a Fayum portrait, so-named after the region in Lower Egypt.