#mummy portraits
Tucked in the Fayyoum basin area were human portraits that melded the Roman and Egyptian cultures into art: the Fayyoum Mummy Portraits. The portraits were some of the most arresting paintings in history, and later became case studies to art historians. The portraits are notably described as the oldest portrayal of the human face. The first person to discover the paintings was the Italian explorer, Pietro Della Valle in 1615 AD. The paintings; however, remained largely unknown until the 19th…