Woman with short hair in Fayum portrait

Woman with short hair in the Fayum portrait. The painting dates from the Hadrianic period, dating to approximately the 2nd century CE.

The Fayum portrait is a unique example of ancient encaustic painting on wood. These portraits were created as effigies of the deceased and placed on mummies, combining ancient Egyptian traditions with influences from Greco-Roman art. Extraordinary realism, an intense gaze, and the use of beeswax painting techniques characterize them. Today, the Fayum portraits constitute one of the most valuable testimonies to individual portraiture in the ancient world.