Egypt is preparing to send a major collection of Greek-inspired mummy portraits, commonly known as Fayum mummy portraits, abroad for the first time, bringing ancient faces from its museums to a Rome exhibition. The centerpiece is a newly restored painting called the “Tondo of the Two Brothers,” unveiled Sunday in Cairo following three weeks of work by Egyptian and Italian conservators.
The exhibition, “The Power of the Portrait: Egypt and Rome, Faces of Fayum,” is scheduled to run from Nov. 6 through May 2, 2027, at Rome’s Ara Pacis Museum. It will feature nearly 50 portraits among more than 110 objects, including burial shrouds, funerary masks, sculptures and ancient jewelry, according to the museum.
Loans from Egyptian museums in Cairo, Kom Aushim and Hurghada will appear alongside works from the Louvre, the Getty Museum and New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. The first-time milestone applies to portraits loaned from Egypt’s own collections. Other Fayum portraits have long been held in museums overseas.
Restoration uncovers details lost to earlier damage
Unveiled at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, the “Tondo of the Two Brothers” shows two young men side by side on a circular wooden panel. Unlike most Fayum portraits, it depicts two people rather than one. The second-century painting is about 2 feet across and was made using a method that combines colored pigments with heated wax.
Its wooden support had been weakened by old insect damage, possibly from termites. Earlier repairs also left fragments of the figure on the right incorrectly positioned, according to Egyptian Museum Director-General Aly Abdel Halim. Conservators stabilized fragile areas, secured displaced pieces and cleaned the painted surface, bringing the man’s mouth and chin into clearer view.
Egypt’s tourism and antiquities minister, Sherif Fathy, called the project “an important example of what can be achieved through international cooperation” at the unveiling. Officials said the restoration would help protect the painting as it prepares for its overseas display.
Why Egypt’s Greek-inspired mummy portraits still matter
Fayum portraits were typically painted on thin wooden panels and placed over the faces of the dead inside mummy wrappings. They combined Egyptian burial customs with portrait styles influenced by Greek and Roman art. The paintings are among the few surviving examples of realistic portraiture from the ancient Mediterranean world.
Organizers say the exhibition will also include 23 works from the Louvre and a recently excavated portrait found by an archaeological mission from the University of Salento. The new discovery is expected to go on public display for the first time.
The restored “Tondo” will be a central attraction, joining portraits and funerary objects that show how Egyptian and Mediterranean traditions met during centuries of Roman rule.
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