Fayum Portraits Painted on Wood & Stone

Fayum mummy portraits are encaustic paintings made with hot wax onto wooden panels. Dating from the 1st to 3rd centuries in Roman Egypt, they are astonishingly lifelike images of the deceased. Painted in minute detail by a specialist craftsman, De Ferranti’s perfect recreations of Fayum portraits are available to special commission.

 

Fayum Mummy Portraits in Roman Egypt

These portraits belong to one of antiquity’s most compelling traditions of painted likeness. Often called Fayum portraits because important groups were excavated around the Fayum oasis, examples have also been found elsewhere in Egypt. Their significance lies in the meeting of cultures: Greco-Roman conventions of naturalistic portraiture were used for an Egyptian funerary purpose, with painted panels positioned over the face of the mummy.

The surviving ancient corpus is materially varied. Encaustic, using beeswax as a paint binder, produced rich colour, visible brushwork and subtle modelling of light and shadow, while tempera and mixed techniques were also used. Limewood was especially favoured, although other timbers occur. Jewellery, clothing and hairstyles can provide valuable evidence for dating, while gilding and mineral pigments add further depth to many examples.

 

Painted Panels for Contemporary Interiors

For designers and collectors, the interest of these Fayum mummy portraits is not simply archaeological. Their direct gaze, closely observed features and intimate scale give them unusual presence as decorative art. De Ferranti can translate this language into commissioned painted panels on wood or, where specified, stone, allowing the work to be considered for framed wall pieces, inset decorative panels, doors and other interior focal points.

Projects exploring related historic painting traditions may also consider De Ferranti’s Frescoes & Religious Iconography collection, while the Stencilled, Painted Stone & Marble collection provides a broader view of painted mineral surfaces. The Officer and the Nude painted translucent marble panel offers a contemporary figurative comparison in stone.

 

Project Guidance and Enquiries

For project guidance, availability, pricing, samples or further information, please contact us. Your enquiry will come directly to De Ferranti, and we will be pleased to discuss suitability, quantities, lead times and options for your project.