World · Africa · 10 hrs ago
Egypt unveils restored 2nd-century portrait ahead of Rome exhibition
Egypt has unveiled a restored 2nd-century painting known as the Tondo of the Two Brothers.
It is part of the Fayum portraits, which were placed over the faces of the dead in mummy wrappings in Roman-era Egypt.
The portraits combine Egyptian burial customs with artistic influences from the wider Greco-Roman world.
The circular painting is unusual because it shows two people rather than one.
Specialists from Rome and Egyptian Museum conservators worked together for three weeks to restore it, recovering the features of the brother on the right.
Egypt will lend a major part of its Fayum portrait collection to a temporary exhibition in Rome from November to May 2027, the first time the collection will travel abroad.
The exhibition is set to include more than 110 objects, including painted panels, funerary shrouds, masks and ancient jewelry.
Egypt unveiled a restored version of the 2nd-century “Tondo of the Two Brothers” on Sunday.
Specialists from Rome and conservators from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir worked together for three weeks to restore the painting.
The artwork is part of the Fayum portraits, which were placed over the faces of the deceased within mummy wrappings.
Egypt will lend a major part of the collection to a temporary exhibition in Rome, the first time it will travel abroad.
The Rome exhibition will run from November to May 2027 and include more than 110 objects.
- Who
- Egypt’s tourism and antiquities ministry unveiled the restored painting, which was conserved by specialists from Rome and the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir.
- What
- Egypt unveiled the restored “Tondo of the Two Brothers” and will lend a major part of its Fayum portrait collection to a Rome exhibition.
- When
- The unveiling took place on Sunday, October 11, 2026. The exhibition will run from November to May 2027.
- Where
- The painting is usually kept at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, Cairo. The exhibition will be held in Rome.
- Why
- The restoration was carried out to preserve and study the artwork. The Rome exhibition will display the collection abroad for the first time.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The restoration of the Tondo of the Two Brothers is an important example of what can be achieved through international cooperation in the preservation and study of cultural heritage.
the conservation required careful intervention because both the wooden support, damaged by termites, and the painted surface were fragile.
Specialists from Rome and conservators from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir worked together to restore the painting.
Egypt unveiled the restored “Tondo of the Two Brothers.
The Rome exhibition is scheduled to begin.
The Rome exhibition is scheduled to end.
- Artwork
- Tondo of the Two Brothers
- Date of painting
- 2nd century
- Restoration period
- Three weeks
- Collection’s usual location
- Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, Cairo
- Exhibition objects
- More than 110
- Exhibition dates
- November to May 2027
Sources
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