2. Some examples of studies

2.1 The secrets of Fayoum portraits revealed by modern methods of examination and analysis

The Fayoum portraits are the oldest evidence of the art of painted portraiture. They are "mummy portraits" created between the 1 ^, and 4th centuries A.D. in Roman Egypt.

In order to gain a better understanding of the painters' choices in terms of the raw materials used, but also to gain a better grasp of the pictorial techniques employed during Antiquity, a series of Fayoum portraits has recently been studied by Colinart et al. using a range of complementary examination methods and analysis techniques [96] .

X-rays of a portrait of a...