Man with a Cup and Roses

The artwork

In one hand he holds a glass, probably of red wine, in the other a wreath of rose petals: this man of Roman Egypt had himself portrayed with the signs of a sacred feast. You receive it printed on handmade Amalfi paper, in a handmade frame.

• The young face with its short beard, the white tunic, the glass and the roses.
• A lively and colourful portrait that brings cheer to a dining room or a study.
• A gift for anyone who loves Egypt, wine and history.

It was painted in Egypt between AD 220 and 250 by a painter whose name we do not know, whom scholars call the Brooklyn Painter. He used tempera, colours mixed with glue, on a panel of cedar of Lebanon, a rare and costly wood that reached Egypt from far away. Analysis shows that the wood is centuries older than the painting: it may have been taken from an older tomb and reused. Like the other portraits we call Fayum portraits, it was placed over the face of the mummy, among the bandages.

The wine and the roses are not mere ornament: according to the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, which holds the panel, they may link this man to the cult of Isis, the great Egyptian goddess worshipped throughout the Empire. Very similar panels come from Er-Rubayat, a village in the Fayum region.

In a dining room it brings home a toast of eighteen centuries ago. It is a cheerful and cultured gift.

Unique quality material

Print on handmade Amalfi paper
Sheet size: 29 x 42 cm (11.4 x 16.5 in)
With frame: 31 x 44 cm (12.2 x 17.3 in)
Material: artwork printed on very fine handmade Amalfi paper with deckled edges
Frame: dark brown with gold fillet, handmade, with glass