English: Fayum mummy portrait, British museum

Portrait of a woman in ecaustic on limewood: the upper edge of the panel is broken, and three vertical fissures extend from the broken edge. This painting demonstrates a very sophisticated use of colour on a grey background; the drapery is painted in three tones of purple, with careful shading and highlighting, also used to form the tones of the face. The original wax was remelted by Petrie; a thin layer of paraffin wax was added to conserve the surface. The subject wears a cyclamen purple tunic, apparently draped to fall off the proper left shoulder (the line of the drapery is visible beneath a mantle of slightly darker hue). Both garments are of fine cloth; the mantle is worn over both shoulders. The woman wears gold hoop earrings set with three round emeralds, and two necklaces, of which the upper is set with longer emeralds interspersed with two gold elements, and the lower with small amethysts and a large central emerald in a gold setting, from which hang two pearls. The hair is curly and cut fairly close to the head, with locks falling in front of the ears. The eyes are large, with lightly curved lower lids and arched eyebrows; of refined appearance, the woman's ivory flesh is lightly tinted on the cheeks, with cream highlights on the nose.

The style of the hair (especially the locks in front of the ears)