Egypt Restores Fayum Portrait Ahead of Italy Loan

Egypt has unveiled the restored “Tondo of the Two Brothers,” an unusual circular Fayum portrait depicting two men and dating to the Roman-era period roughly 2,000 years ago. Egyptian and Italian conservators worked together for three weeks to stabilize its fragile wooden panel and paint, which had been damaged by insects and earlier repairs. The portrait will travel abroad for the first time as a highlight of a Fayum portrait exhibition at Rome’s Ara Pacis Museum, running from November 2026 to May 2027. The loan is part of a broader Egyptian collection headed to Rome and reflects the two countries’ cooperation in preserving and sharing cultural heritage.