Fayoum Portrait. The "Fayoum Portraits" are life-like paintings once bandaged in place over the faces of mummies, dating usually between the 1st and 3rd centuries A.D. Most of these portraits have now been detached from their mummies. Yet, they provide a wealth of information about the clothing, adornment and physical characteristics of Egypt's wealthier inhabitants during Roman times. The portraits of Fayoum are painted on invaluable wood plates or fabric of flax.