[2] Such mortuary portraits, attached to the burial, were popular as an artistic medium in the 1st century AD during the Roman Empire's rule over Egypt, which was dominated by an upper class of ethnic Greeks.

[1] The portrait includes a Greek inscription written in dark purple pigment below the neckline of the tunic.

[1][2] The portrait makes use of light and dark colors coupled with broad brush strokes to model the boy's face.

The olive background of the panel is used to contrast the subject's face and dark hair creating a sense of depth.

Paintings of this type, often referred to as Faiyum portraits, are typical products of the multicultural society of Roman Egypt.