The Face of a Faiyum Woman in Purple Shawl (Digital Photoshop Reconstruction)

ARTIST NOTES: This portrait in many ways was remarkable for what it lacked, rather than what it had. Damage from the elements, poor handling & storage over the centuries definitely left its mark . I couldn’t identify on sight what the odd black stripes were that obscured part of her head, face, and eye. (They seemed a bit cloth-like.)

The outline of the hair was a globulous mess, but a clue seemed to lie in the "top knot" outlined toward the back of her head, suggesting an elaborate hairstyle I’ve seen on better preserved portraits. It didn’t take long to find such a portrait and use it to fashion a more defined hairstyle. The low hairline on the forehead could either have been a proportional miscalculation by the ancient artist or a depiction of an anatomical reality. We’ll never know. I only raised it slightly.

The facial features were unusually round and fleshy despite having a long thin neck. With these types of portraits it’s typical to see huge, oversized eyes and shrunken mouths with the nose being similarly understated. The ancient artist apparently couldn’t overlook the prominent nose of this subject, and so allowed it to take center stage on the face. With only modest adjustments to the proportions of the face, the nose actually turned out to be one of her noblest features.

Opening Image
Fayum mummy female Ashmolean Museum
courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
License: US-PD

"Faiyum Woman in Purple Shawl" 2024. Original Digital Art. (c) M.A. Ludwig

Music: "Meditations by the Earth" 2008. (c) M.A. Ludwig

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