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ENCAUSTIC
• Ancient Techniques
The Portraits of the Fayum Mummies - 10 -

 

Technique: Scale, Materials and Colours


  • Restoration and conservation:

 
  Petrie, in his reports of 1889 and 1911 on the finds from Hawara, records that the state of preservation of the mummies recovered from the burial sites varied considerably. He considered that this was a result of different treatments they had received prior to burial, as well as of the physical characteristics of the burial site itself. 
Common problems included cracked or flaking paint (due to expansion and contraction of the wood panel), split wood, dents, cuts, paint bubbling or curling up in irregular flakes, and dirt and sand ingrained in the surface, especially where brush marks had left the surface uneven. 

The condition of both mummies and portraits deteriorated further due to handling and to the changing environmental conditions encountered during and after their transport from Egypt. 
In severe cases, Petrie had to consolidate the damaged and flaking portraits before he could transport them [cf. 84]: he brushed off the sand, warmed them gently by holding a brazier of red-hot charcoal above them, and poured paraffin wax over the surface. In other cases, where the wax had whitened or decomposed, he used a stiff brush and spirit to remove the film, spread a thin coat of wax and ether over
the portrait, and then melted the surface bit by bit to return it to its original condition [80]. 40)

Since Petrie's time many attempts have been made at cleaning and consolidation, using a variety of methods. The most recent techniques [see, e.g., 73] involve mechanical as
opposed to solvent cleaning. 41)


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