“It’s the attraction of Egypt that wins out, it always has its effect,” rejoices Catherine Arnold, head of the management of works at the Museum of Fine Arts and Le Vergeur de Reims.
The Portrait of Fayoum indeed won the vote, launched in December, to save a work from the Museums of the City of Reims.
Sculpture, standard, military headdress, porcelain vase... the choice was wide.
It was ultimately a funerary mask, painted on linen, which won the greatest number of votes.
Nearly 1,500 voters participated in this online vote and the mask obtained nearly 14% of the votes.
“This is a first participatory experience with the public,” comments Pascal Labelle, deputy delegate for culture at the City of Reims.
Their choice demonstrates the moving side of this particularly old work which deserves significant restoration.
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Also read: Why ancient Egypt fascinates us so much
“The extent of the damage has surely affected people: it is dirty, torn and retracted,” specifies the deputy mayor.
A broad reflection will therefore be carried out in order to know what will be the most appropriate restoration method.
It is by approaching the best specialists at the Louvre that Catherine Arnold will carry out a study prior to the restoration.
“It is one of the funerary portraits found in the Fayoum oasis, a place in Egypt.
These are very realistic paintings dating back to Roman times.
This represents a young man and requires significant consolidation.
A suspicion of infection by a fungus must also be considered,” underlines Catherine Arnold, head of works management.
Read alsoWe tested “Augmented Egypt”: and suddenly, hieroglyphics appeared at the Louvre
Suffice it to say that there could be multiple possible treatments in order to preserve the work and give it a new life.
A market involving competition between several restaurateurs will be launched and validated by commission next June.
The restoration of the work should not begin until next September.
But within a few weeks, twenty people will be drawn at random from among the 209 voters for the Portrait of Fayoum.
Next April, they will enjoy an exclusive visit to the Reims museum conservation center.
This secret place contains more than 50,000 treasures in its reserves, including the famous Portrait of Fayoum.
For these same lucky people, a second visit will be scheduled at the end of 2024 to follow the stages of the restoration.
For others, go to social networks where the Museums of the City of Reims will regularly publish the progress of the process.