Artwork

Funerary Panel of a Man

Funerary Panel of a Man is an unspecified painting. It is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.

About this work

History & Provenance

The Funerary Panel of a Man is part of the collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is catalogued under the accession number 1971.

The work was created as a funerary portrait, likely intended for burial use in the late 1960s or early 1970s, though exact dating relies on stylistic comparison rather than documentary evidence. It was painted by an unknown artist and entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it remains on view in the museum's galleries dedicated to ancient Mediterranean art.

The Funerary Panel of a Man is part of the collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is catalogued under the accession number 1971.135. It has been included in exhibitions at the museum highlighting its Egyptian collection, though specific exhibition titles are not detailed in the available documentation.

Overview

The work, titled Funerary Panel of a Man, is a painted panel whose surface shows extensive wear. The portrait’s face appears faded, with a roughened skin texture, pronounced shadows beneath the eyes, and a deep furrow between the brows. The panel’s edges are chipped, exposing earlier layers of pigment, suggesting a long history of handling and environmental exposure.

Technique & Style

Executed in paint on a wooden panel, the artist employed a relatively flat application that now appears cracked and flaked. The handling of light creates deep chiaroscuro around the eyes, while the overall palette has muted, weathered tones. The visible stratification of paint, revealed where the edges are broken, indicates a multilayered process typical of funerary portraiture in the period.

Context

The panel’s current state is marked by surface erosion: the paint layer is uneven, with chip losses that expose underlying strata. The skin surface shows a tactile roughness, and the overall composition is compromised by darkened shadows that may result from pigment oxidation. Conservation efforts would need to stabilize the remaining paint and address the structural integrity of the wooden support.