Which term describes naturalistic painted portraits attached to mummified bodies in Roman Fayum?

Which term describes naturalistic painted portraits attached to mummified bodies in Roman Fayum?

• A. Fayum portraits
• B. Flashing
• C. Flying buttress
• D. Gesso

Answer: (A)

Fayum portraits are naturalistic painted portraits attached to mummified bodies in Roman Fayum, Egypt. These portraits were painted on wooden panels using encaustic (wax) or tempera and placed over the face of the mummy to provide a lifelike image for the afterlife. They reflect a blend of Egyptian burial practices with Greco-Roman realism, focusing on individual likeness rather than generic idealism. The other terms don’t fit because they refer to unrelated things: one is an architectural feature, another is a plaster primer used in painting, and neither describes these funerary portraits.

Fayum portraits are naturalistic painted portraits attached to mummified bodies in Roman Fayum, Egypt. These portraits were painted on wooden panels using encaustic (wax) or tempera and placed over the face of the mummy to provide a lifelike image for the afterlife. They reflect a blend of Egyptian burial practices with Greco-Roman realism, focusing on individual likeness rather than generic idealism. The other terms don’t fit because they refer to unrelated things: one is an architectural feature, another is a plaster primer used in painting, and neither describes these funerary portraits.