Funerary Portrait of a Young Girlc. 25–37 CE · Study 1971.137

Context from the museum

Transforming the spirit—not beautifying the mortal body—may have been the purpose of adding golden lips and jewelry to this painting. Egyptian-style burial customs and arts persisted throughout Greek, Roman, and Byzantine rule over Egypt (305 BCE–641 CE). The woman depicted in this panel lived between cultures. Her or her family’s choice of mummification reflected historical Egyptian practices of creating a physical “duplicate” for the deceased’s soul to rest in, and their decision to color her lips gold here may symbolize how death transformed her into an akh (effective spirit). In contrast, the choice of her clothing and hairstyle showed her embrace of contemporary ideals of Hellenic (Greco-Roman) Egyptian identity.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

This painting can be dated based on the hairstyle popular at the end of the reign of Emperor Tiberius (reigned 14–37 CE).

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected overall measurement for Funerary Portrait of a Young Girl is 17.4 cm wide and 39.4 cm high, equivalent to approximately 6.9 × 15.5 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.44:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.07 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 5.8% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 141.3 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Funerary Portrait of a Young Girl in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, encaustic on linden wood, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 17.4 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?