Shockingly Modern

What makes the Fayum portraits unsettling is how contemporary they look. The faces feel less like ancient art and more like photographs — direct, personal, alive. A young woman with large dark eyes and gold earrings could pass for someone glimpsed in any modern city.

Cut to Fit

Most portraits were painted on thin wooden panels, often from imported limewood or cedar, sometimes only a few millimeters thick. The panel was then trimmed to size and tucked into the mummy's linen wrappings, so only the painted face showed. Framed by the bandages, the portrait sat exactly where a living face would be.