Object name: Red shroud mummy
Accession no.: E.63.1903
Other numbers and markings: tbd
Dimensions:
H
Brief description:
Red-shroud portrait mummy of a man. The mummy is supported on two narrow wooden planks, which are tied together with bandages. This structure and the mummy were wrapped together in a shroud made of a single piece of plain-weave linen, folded neatly over the feet but gathered more roughly at the top of the head and stuck in place. The shroud is painted in bright scarlet made from a mixture of red lead, chalk/calcite and carbon-based black, and applied in a beeswax medium. The decorative elements are outlined in grey paint (lead white, yellow ochre and carbon-based black in a wax and oil medium) and completed with purple paint (made from carbon-based black, iron oxide red, calcite and lead white), copper-based green frit, and gold leaf, with final detailing in black.
The portrait panel sits in an opening cut into the front of the shroud. The painting was executed in a beeswax medium, using a pigment palette similar to that found in the shroud decoration. The paint was applied with a brush along with a variety of tools to build up texture.
Date: AD 100-180
Find spot: El-Hibeh
Acquisition: Given by the Egypt Exploration Fund
Construction, decoration and materials:
Other information
Red shroud mummy
Detail of the portrait panel
