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Gallery Talk: The Lives and Afterlives of Funerary Portraits from Roman Egypt

Portrait of a woman with brown eyes, brown hair, and a purple garment on a wooden panel.
Portrait of a woman, Egypt, probably from Antinoopolis, c. 130–150 CE. Support: Native Egyptian sycomore fig (Ficus sycomorus); binder: beeswax; pigments: lead white, red and yellow ochers, carbon black, indigo, madder lake, green earth (celadonite), natrojarosite. Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Dr. Denman W. Ross, 1923.60.

Gallery Talk

In-Person
Harvard Art Museums
32 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA

This event does not require registration; see further details below.

Join conservator Kate Smith and Egyptologist Jen Thum for a discussion about the lives and afterlives of two Roman Egyptian funerary portraits, tracing their path from ancient burial to a modern museum collection. These portraits are now on view for the first time since 2022, when they were featured in the exhibition Funerary Portraits from Roman Egypt: Facing Forward.

Led by:
Kate Smith, Senior Conservator of Paintings and Head of Paintings Lab, Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies

Jen Thum, Associate Director of Academic Engagement and Campus Partnerships and Research Curator, Division of Academic and Public Programs

Please check in with museum staff at the Visitor Services desk in the Calderwood Courtyard to request to join the talk. Talks are limited to 18 people and are available on a first-come, first-served basis; no registration is required.

The Harvard Art Museums are now offering free admission every day, Tuesday through Sunday. Please see the museum visit page to learn about our general policies for visiting the museums.

The Harvard Art Museums are committed to accessibility for all visitors. For anyone requiring accessibility accommodations for our programs, please contact us at am_register@harvard.edu at least 48 hours in advance.