Egypt.. Completion of the restoration of the painting “The Two Brothers” in preparation for its first display in Rome

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The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has completed the restoration work of the painting “The Two Brothers”, one of the exceptional pieces of portraiture during the Roman era, in preparation for its travel to Italy and display for the first time outside Egypt, as part of a temporary archaeological exhibition hosted by the “Ara Pacis” Museum in the capital, Rome, during the period from November 5, 2026 until May 2, 2027.

The Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, Sherif Fathi, announced the completion of the restoration work on the painting, during an international press conference at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, today, Sunday, in the presence of the Italian Ambassador to Cairo, Agostino Palizzi, Dr. Hisham El-Laithi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, and a number of officials and specialists in the field of antiquities and restoration.

The minister stressed that the project embodies the depth of cultural cooperation between Egypt and Italy, and reflects the importance of cultural heritage in promoting dialogue and understanding between peoples, noting that cooperation between Egyptian and Italian specialists allowed the exchange of scientific and artistic expertise in restoring the piece and preserving it for future generations.

The painting “The Two Brothers” is scheduled to be displayed within the “The Power of Portrait...Egypt and Rome: Faces of Fayoum” exhibition, which includes more than 110 archaeological and artistic pieces, including painted portrait panels, funerary shrouds, masks, marble portraits, plaster casts, and a collection of ancient jewelry.

The exhibition will witness, for the first time, the display of a selection of Fayoum portraits located in Egyptian antiquities museums, including pieces from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, the Kom Oshim Museum, and the Hurghada Museum, with the painting “The Two Brothers” topping the participating Egyptian pieces.

Sherif Fathi said that the participation of these works in the Rome exhibition represents an opportunity to introduce the international public to one of the distinct aspects of Egyptian civilization, and to highlight the cultural and artistic interaction that Egypt witnessed during the Roman era, while adhering to the standards of protecting and preserving antiquities during their transportation and display abroad.

For his part, Italian Ambassador Agostino Palizzi expressed his happiness at announcing the completion of the restoration of the painting inside the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, stressing the importance of joint cooperation between the two countries and its continuation during the coming period.

The painting “The Two Brothers” is characterized by artistic characteristics that make it an exceptional example among the well-known Fayoum portraits. Its diameter is about 62 centimeters, and its thickness does not exceed one centimeter. It is made of wood and painted using the “encaustic” technique, which relies on mixing dyes with molten wax.

The painting depicts two young men side by side in one artistic composition, which is unusual in Fayoum portraits, in addition to its circular shape and relatively large size, which gives it special importance in studying the development of the art of portraiture in Egypt during the Roman era.

The Fayoum portraits are among the most prominent artistic evidence remaining from the ancient world. Most of them were painted on thin wooden panels that were placed over the faces of the deceased among the mummy scrolls, combining Egyptian funerary traditions with Greek and Roman artistic influences.

Dr. Hisham Al-Laithi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, explained that the importance of the painting “The Two Brothers” is not limited to the quality of its artistic execution, but rather extends to its shape, drawing technique, and condition, as it provides important information for the study of portraiture in Egypt during the Roman era.

He pointed out that the restoration work required careful intervention due to the fragility of the wooden stand and the color layer, pointing out that the work team relied on the principle of minimal intervention, with the aim of preserving the originality of the piece and the stability of its components.

For his part, Dr. Ali Abdel Halim, Director General of the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir, explained that the restoration program lasted about three weeks, and was carried out by specialists from the Fabrica Conservazione e Restauro Foundation in Rome, in cooperation with the museum’s restoration team.

He explained that the painting was suffering from a deterioration in preservation as a result of an old infestation with wood-eating insects, in addition to the fragility of some parts of the color layer. The examinations also revealed previous reconstructive interventions that led to the reinstallation of parts of the mouth and chin of the person depicted on the right of the painting in incorrect positions.

The restoration work included strengthening the color layer surrounding the missing parts, stabilizing weak areas, treating tunnels left by insects under parts of the drawing layer, in addition to correcting the positions of parts that had previously been installed inaccurately, using fine supports.

Ultraviolet examinations also showed traces in the hair of the two people that may indicate that the ancient artist used a transparent layer of varnish to deepen the dark tones, which provides additional indicators for studying the painting techniques used in Egypt during the Roman era.

Tommaso Radaelli, president of the MondoMostre Foundation organizing the exhibition, said that the painting “The Two Brothers” will be one of the most prominent pieces on display after the completion of its restoration, explaining that the exhibition will include about 60 painted portraits from Egypt, in addition to a variety of archaeological and artistic pieces.

He added that the exhibition aims to provide visitors with the opportunity to learn more deeply about the artistic and cultural interactions that Egypt witnessed during the Roman era.

In turn, Dr. Claudio Parisi, Supervisor of Cultural Heritage in Rome, explained that the Egyptian pieces will be displayed alongside works from international collections and museums, including the Louvre Museum, the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Württemberg State Museum in Stuttgart, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as Italian collections.

The exhibition places the Fayoum portraits in their broader historical and artistic context, as a product of the interaction of Egyptian funerary traditions with Greek artistic culture and Roman painting styles, at a time that witnessed cultural and artistic diversity within Egypt.