Fil:Fayum-17.jpg

Portrait of a young man in encaustic on limewood, with a gilded stucco frame: the panel is fissured in the centre from top to bottom. The surface of the gilt frame is very crazed, but the original vine-scroll decoration is visible in places, as is the reddish bole beneath. The frame surrounds the background in greenish grey, but does not extend over the painted drapery. A band, perhaps of shellac, extends across the bottom of the panel.

The subject wears a white tunic with pink clavus, the seam below the shoulder shown as darker pink bands. Over the proper left shoulder is a white mantle, which extends to the back of the neck but it is not shown on the proper right side. The dark brown hair is abundant and curly, with long whiskers in front of the ears, almost joined to a thin beard. Above the full red lips is a moustache. All the facial hair, including the eyebrows, is painted in a lighter brown. The hazel eyes are large and rounded, with prominent upper lashes. The skin is painted in warm pinks and umbers, with thick strokes in a lighter shade.