On August 12, the Louvre Abu Dhabi announced its participation in the research on a Romano-Egyptian funerary portrait, which is regarded as one of the most important artworks of ancient Egypt. The J. Paul Getty Museum and other 47 museums also participated in the research.
The APPEAR (Ancient Panel Paintings: Examination, Analysis and Research) Project was initiated in 2013 by the Getty Museum’s Department of Antiquities Conservation, and it aims to analyze and share information on funerary portraits found in the collections of the international museums. The Louvre Abu Dhabi joined this project in 2019. Louvre Abu Dhabi analyzes the Funerary Portrait of a Man with a Cup (225–250 AD), which is a typical representative of the Romano-Egyptian funerary portraits. It melds artistic methods and styles of the Greco-Roman period with Egyptian funerary tradition lasting for more than 2000 years.
The APPEAR Project is led by a team of researchers and scientists from the Louvre Abu Dhabi and supported by the New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD). An X-Ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer has been used by the Louvre Abu Dhabi to detect and identify chemical elements on the painting’s surface. The collected data will then be used to analyze and discover new information on this painting, including how it was made, where it originated and who might have created it. In addition, through analysis on the parts painted over or restored, how the painting has been passed down to the present could be revealed.
Following the completion of the analysis of the Funerary Portrait of a Man with a Cup, the results and data will be added to the APPEAR online database for other scientists and researchers’ reference. The first results of the findings will be published at the end of 2020.
Source: Louvre Abu Dhabi (abridged)