The Face of a Fayum Woman 2nd Century A.D. (Artistic Reconstruction)

So many centuries after this woman’s passing, there’s very little to tell us about who she was apart from her lingering wax painted visage decorating a plank of wood. Some historians suggest these portraits were made during Roman and Greek occupation of Egypt, while others lean toward the possibility that many of these portraits are native Egyptians influenced by Roman and Greek culture.

ARTIST NOTES: There were more than a few challenges in this particular piece, as the planks of wood had separated, paint was missing, and the portrait was skewed in such a way that part of me wondered whether the wood planks were uneven from the start.

A choice needed to be made which side of the face was going to be the basis for the rest of the reconstruction, and the most intact side (viewer’s right hand side) won the battle. Because the proportions changed so markedly from one side of the face to the other, it was hard to decide which features were drawn poorly and which might have been actual traits. There appeared to be a jutting lower lip which might have been included had it not been for the fact that the eye above it was also "jutting" out and some sizes larger than the other eye. Portraits of this age didn’t tend to reveal deformities (or actual age, either, in some cases) so it was ultimately decided to blend the features as naturally as possible without losing too much of the original form.
"Fayum Woman 2nd Century A.D." 2020. Digital Art (c) M.A. Ludwig

Opening Image: "Fayum Mummy Portrait Female 2nd Century AD"
License: US-PD

Music: "T’pril’s Mirror" from album "The Galaxy Beyond" (c) 2008
Composed & performed by M.A. Ludwig

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