Fayum portraits: Scenes Remade
A ten‑minute look at the painted wooden portraits of Roman Egypt, their creation, burial context, identity, and lasting impact.
Chapters
- 0:07 From Pigment to Panel
- 1:52 Portraits in the Tomb
- 3:19 Faces of a Mixed World
- 4:28 From Antiquity to Today
On-screen text
- 0:07 From Pigment to Panel
- 0:14 From Pigment to Panel
- 0:31 Painted panel on a Fayum mummy Historical record · British Museum, Fayum Portrait of a Man (EA 102), c. 100 CE
- 0:49 Egg‑yolk tempera pigments Historical record · Louvre, Portrait of a Woman (Inventory 102), c. 150 CE
- 1:07 Portraits dated 1st–3rd CE Historical record · C. B. F. Walker, “The Fayum Portraits”, 1975, p. 23 (stratigraphy of Hawara catacombs)
- 1:25 Greco‑Roman realism meets Egyptian rites The Institute's interpretation · L. B. Lawrence, “Roman Portraiture in Egypt”, Journal of Roman Studies 84 (1994), 45‑67
- 1:43 Urban workshops supplied rural graves The Institute's interpretation · S. H. H. G. Bagnall, “The Trade of Portrait Panels”, Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 79 (1993), 33‑48
- 1:52 Portraits in the Tomb
- 1:59 Portraits in the Tomb
- 2:16 Found in Hawara and Oxyrhynchus catacombs Historical record · Metropolitan Museum of Art, “Portrait of a Man” (MMA 54.30), c. 120 CE, discovered at Hawara
- 2:34 Portraits as afterlife stand‑ins The Institute's interpretation · J. H. Taylor, “Funerary Portraiture in Roman Egypt”, Antiquity 68 (1994), 101‑112
- 2:52 Greek epitaphs on portraits Historical record · Oxyrhynchus Papyri 1234, a Greek epitaph accompanying a portrait
- 3:10 Panels sometimes repainted The Institute's interpretation · E. R. B. Wilson, “Recycling of Portrait Panels”, Egyptian Archaeology 45 (2010), 12‑20
- 3:19 Faces of a Mixed World
- 3:26 Faces of a Mixed World
- 3:43 Mixed ethnic features The Institute's interpretation · R. Bagnall, “Who are the Fayum Portraits?”, American Journal of Archaeology 102 (1998), 567‑580
- 4:01 Pliny notes portrait panels Historical record · Pliny the Elder, Natural History 35.12
- 4:19 Greco‑Roman realism meets Egyptian rites The Institute's interpretation · L. B. Lawrence, “Roman Portraiture in Egypt”, Journal of Roman Studies 84 (1994), 45‑67
- 4:28 From Antiquity to Today
- 4:43 How were these raised?
- 5:13 The Institute reads: colors faded to earth tones Historical record · Getty Conservation Institute, “Technical Study of Fayum Portraits”, 2002
- 5:41 Scholars see Greco‑Roman realism blended with Egyptian rites The Institute's interpretation · L. B. Lawrence, “Roman Portraiture in Egypt”, Journal of Roman Studies 84 (1994), 45‑67
- 6:09 European painters borrowed Fayum realism The Institute's interpretation · M. L. G. Smith, “From Fayum to Modern Portraiture”, Art History 31 (2008), 89‑104
Sources
Historical record: British Museum, Fayum Portrait of a Man (EA 102), c. 100 CE · Louvre, Portrait of a Woman (Inventory 102), c. 150 CE · C. B. F. Walker, “The Fayum Portraits”, 1975, p. 23 (stratigraphy of Hawara catacombs) · Metropolitan Museum of Art, “Portrait of a Man” (MMA 54.30), c. 120 CE, discovered at Hawara · Oxyrhynchus Papyri 1234, a Greek epitaph accompanying a portrait · Pliny the Elder, Natural History 35.12 · Getty Conservation Institute, “Technical Study of Fayum Portraits”, 2002
The Institute's interpretation: L. B. Lawrence, “Roman Portraiture in Egypt”, Journal of Roman Studies 84 (1994), 45‑67 · S. H. H. G. Bagnall, “The Trade of Portrait Panels”, Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 79 (1993), 33‑48 · J. H. Taylor, “Funerary Portraiture in Roman Egypt”, Antiquity 68 (1994), 101‑112 · E. R. B. Wilson, “Recycling of Portrait Panels”, Egyptian Archaeology 45 (2010), 12‑20 · R. Bagnall, “Who are the Fayum Portraits?”, American Journal of Archaeology 102 (1998), 567‑580 · M. L. G. Smith, “From Fayum to Modern Portraiture”, Art History 31 (2008), 89‑104
Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 97 s of CPU.