Plaster portrait mask of a youth, dating to the Roman Period, circa A.D. 140–190. The mask combines Roman portraiture with Egyptian religious symbolism.

The youth is shown with slightly untamed black hair, a style popular in the Greek-speaking eastern provinces of the Roman Empire during the 2nd century A.D. He wears a white tunic with rose-colored clavi (stripes) and a white mantle, with a woven H-motif visible below his left hand. His head rests on a high support adorned with Egyptian motifs: three golden uraei flank his neck, while the falcon god Re-Harakhty appears at the back of his head, accompanied by two of the Sons of Horus, Qebesenuef and Duamutef.

Object Details

Title: Plaster Portrait Mask of a Youth
Period: Roman Period
Date: Probably A.D. 140–190
Geography: Egypt, likely from Middle Egypt, Tuna el-Gebel
Medium: Plaster, linen, paint, lapis lazuli, glass
Dimensions: L. 58.5 cm; W. 27.4 cm; H. 30 cm
Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1912
Accession Number: 12.182.46
Provenance: Purchased in Cairo from Maurice Nahman, 1912
Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gallery 138