This Ancient Man’s Piercing Hazel Eyes Drew Almost $1 Million in ‘Mummy Portrait’ Auction
Sotheby’s has recently made headlines by selling a remarkable painting of a man from first-century CE Egypt, during the Roman era. This artwork is believed to mark the beginning of realistic portraiture, emerging 1,200 years before similar styles appeared in Italy. This captivating piece is part of the Fayum Mummy Portraits collection, which encompasses a series of artworks discovered during 19th-century excavations at Hawara, located in Egypt’s Fayum region. These portraits were crafted to adorn mummified remains, serving as masks that captured the likeness of the deceased. Painted with a unique mixture of pigments and melted beeswax on wooden panels,












