Fayoum Mummy Portraits Travel Abroad After Restoration

Egypt unveiled on Sunday a restored version of the “Tondo of the Two Brothers,” a significant 2nd-century painting from the famed Fayoum mummy portraits. Specialists from Rome collaborated with conservators from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir over three weeks to restore the artwork, officials announced at a press conference.

This marks the first time a major part of the Fayoum mummy portrait collection will travel abroad for an exhibition, which is set to take place in Rome. These portraits, primarily painted on thin wooden panels, were placed over the faces of the deceased within mummy wrappings, blending Egyptian funerary customs with influences from the Greco-Roman world.

Sherif Fathy, Egypt’s minister of tourism and antiquities, highlighted the restoration as a prime example of international cooperation in preserving cultural heritage. "Egypt and Italy share deep historical and cultural ties, and this project brings together Egyptian and Italian expertise to preserve an exceptional work of art for future generations," he stated.

The “Tondo of the Two Brothers” is considered unusual due to its circular shape and its depiction of two individuals. Experts rank it among the most vivid surviving portraits from Roman-era Egypt. The painting was created using a encaustic technique, where pigments are mixed with molten wax. Restorers were able to recover the features of the brother on the right side of the portrait.

![The "Tondo of the Two Brothers," a Fayoum portrait from the Greco-Roman period, depicting two young men.]( "The "Tondo of the Two Brothers," a Fayoum portrait from the Greco-Roman period, depicting two young men.")

Aly Abdel Halim, director general of the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, noted the fragility of both the wooden support, which was damaged by termites, and the painted surface, requiring careful conservation efforts.

The exhibition in Rome is scheduled to run from November to May 2027 and will feature over 110 objects, including painted panels, funerary shrouds, masks, marble portraits, plaster casts, and ancient jewelry, according to Tomaso Radaelli, chairman of MondoMostre, the exhibition's organizer.