The Egyptian Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathy, announced during a press conference the completion of the restoration of the "Portrait of the Brothers," which is considered one of the most prominent masterpieces of portrait art in Egypt during the Roman era, according to a statement published on the ministry's official Facebook page on Sunday.
The painting underwent a restoration process in preparation for its debut at a temporary archaeological exhibition in Italy.
This painting is scheduled to travel from Egypt for the first time to be displayed at a temporary exhibition at the "Ara Pacis" Museum in the Italian capital, Rome, as part of the exhibition "The Power of Portraiture... Egypt and Rome: Faces of Fayum," which will take place from November 5, 2026, to May 2, 2027.
The exhibition will for the first time showcase a collection of Fayum portrait paintings from the collections of Egyptian archaeological museums, featuring selected pieces from several museums, with the "Portrait of the Brothers" being one of the most notable Egyptian pieces participating.
These works, also known as the Fayum mummy portraits, represent some of the most significant examples of surviving personal images from the ancient world.
Most of them were painted on thin wooden panels and were placed over the face of the deceased between the mummy wrappings, embodying the interaction between Egyptian funerary traditions and Greek and Roman artistic influences.
An Important Painting
The "Portrait of the Brothers" is a circular wooden panel measuring about 62 centimeters in diameter and no more than one centimeter thick, painted using the "encaustic" technique, which involves mixing pigments with molten wax, depicting two young men side by side.
The painting is distinguished by its unusual circular shape and large size, as well as the portrayal of two individuals together in a single artwork, making it an exceptional example among the known Fayum portraits, according to the statement.
The restoration process took three weeks.