A bald man, from Abusir el-Melek,
1st century AD.
Punic-wax(?).
The site where this portrait was found lies on the west bank of the
Nile valley, east of the Fayum. This realistic image has been rendered
with great speed and supreme confidence.
An idiosyncrasy among the brushstrokes is the distinctive rope-like
pattern made just above the eyebrows. The zig-zag and parallel marks
of the hard tool on the forehead, the sides of the face, and the neck
and chest are impressively strong and precise.
The wooden panel on which it is painted is itself curved: was it
chosen specially to enhance the effect of the domed forehead? The
black marks are bitumen, embossed with traces of the linen bandages.
click here for a detailed image
[picture no.95 of the book]
