Conservation of Mural Paintings in the Coptic Museum

Author(s):  
Michael Jones

This chapter describes the preservation efforts undertaken by the American Research Center in Egypt on the famous murals, preserved in the Cairo Coptic Museum, which were originally excavated in Apa Jeremiah's Saqqara monastery and Apa Apollo's Bawit monastery. These wall paintings have traditionally been considered the principal symbols of Coptic art. The Saqqara niches were excavated between 1906 and 1910. In keeping with Egyptian tradition, all the paintings are painted on plaster a secco. The Saqqara niches were constructed of mud brick lined with a white lime plaster arricio, often quite coarse and uneven, containing siliceous alluvial sand and some occasional plant fibers. The Bawit niches were excavated in 1913. The two niches were painted on mud with only a thin white lime wash applied for the paintings, rendering them considerably more delicate than the Saqqara niches.

1992 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Lehner

From 1979 to 1983 the American Research Center in Egypt carried out an architectural, archaeological and geo-archaeological study of the Giza Sphinx. Photogrammetry and conventional surveying techniques were used to prepare detailed plans and front and side elevations of the monument. These have made it possible to construct a computer model of the current condition of the Sphinx, and its hypothesized condition in ancient times, both as originally carved in the 4th Dynasty, and as remodelled and renovated during the 18th Dynasty. Careful analysis of surviving detached fragments of the Sphinx allowed details of beard and uraeus to be included in the reconstruction. This process of creating a computer model of the Sphinx is akin to sculpting the statue again in computer memory.


2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (9) ◽  
pp. 72
Author(s):  
Kamel Mouhoubi ◽  
Vincent Detalle ◽  
Jean-Marc Vallet ◽  
Jean-Luc Bodnar

Within the framework of conservation and assistance for the restoration of cultural property, a method of analysis assistance has been developed to help in the restoration of cultural heritage. Several collaborations have already demonstrated the possibility of defects detection (delamination, salts) in murals paintings using stimulated infrared thermography. One of the difficulties encountered with infrared thermography applied to the analysis of works of art is the remanence of the pictorial layer. This difficulty can sometimes induce detection artifacts and false positives. A method of thermograms post-processing called PPT (pulse phase thermography) is described. The possibilities offered by the PPT in terms of reducing the optical effects associated with the pictorial layer are highlighted first with a simulation, and then through experiments. This approach can significantly improve the study of painted works of art such as wall paintings.


2014 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 169-185
Author(s):  
Jarosław Źrałka ◽  
Katarzyna Radnicka

The Ixil Maya area is located in Quiche Department of the north-western part of the Guatemalan Highlands. It has witnessed a continuous occupation since the 1st millennium BC till today. This archaeologically interesting region has provided many important discoveries of rare cultural mixture, with distinct features typical for both Maya Highlands and more distant Lowlands. Recently, the scholarly interest has focused on Chajul where a few years ago, in one of the local houses, well preserved wall paintings dated to the Colonial period were exposed by the house owner during the process of its renovation. With this extraordinary finding a question emerged - are we able to confirm the cultural continuity between the pre-Columbian settlers and modem Ixil who claim «to be always here»? This paper presents a brief outline of the history of the Ixil Maya. It also presents results of some recent and preliminary studies conducted by Polish scholars in this region.


2015 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Cadelano ◽  
P. Bison ◽  
A. Bortolin ◽  
G. Ferrarini ◽  
F. Peron ◽  
...  

AbstractThe subflorescence and efflorescence phenomena are widely acknowledged as the major causes of permanent damage to fresco wall paintings. They are related to the occurrence of cycles of dry/wet conditions inside the walls. Therefore, it is essential to identify the presence of water on the decorated surfaces and inside the walls.Nondestructive testing in industrial applications have confirmed that active infrared thermography with continuous timed images acquisition can improve the outcomes of thermal analysis aimed to moisture identification. In spite of that, in cultural heritage investigations these techniques have not been yet used extensively on a regular basis. This paper illustrates an application of these principles in order to evaluate the decay of fresco mural paintings in a medieval chapel located in North−West of Italy. One important feature of this study is the use of a robotic system called aIRview that can be utilized to automatically acquire and process thermal images. Multiple accurate thermal views of the inside walls of the building have been produced in a survey that lasted several days. Signal processing algorithms based on Fast Fourier Transform analysis have been applied to the acquired data in order to formulate trustworthy hypotheses about the deterioration mechanisms.


2007 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-61
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Bąkowska

As in every other domain of art, in contemporary mural painting it is possible to indicate great projects and realizations as well as failures. However, many examples confirm the thesis of an especially significant role of depicting in architectural and urban space. After all, like in other kinds of painting, the main feature here is the talent of an artist. Artistic quality of depicting in architectural scale is so important because of its aesthetical, ethical and education role. It is hard to answer the question about the future of mural paintings and the role of the new media of transmitting color and illusion in architectural space. Nowadays, in the time of instant development of science and technology, increasing tempo of life and continuous need of changes, it may turn out that the digital and hologram pictures better fulfil the expectation of the present recipient. It is not unlikely that the practical values of these techniques – their energetic and light features – might cause the elimination of traditional wall paintings which have accompanied architecture for so many ages. On the other hand, we could observe in the present culture evident “retro” tendencies – the growth of interest in the past, the recognition of traditional forms of expression, and a desire for their continuation. Materiality, touchable texture, and some mysterious load of energy executed by artists in traditional techniques are the elements acting to the advantage of old- fashioned painted walls. Paveikslai architektūroje – nuo freskų iki šviečiančių projekcijų Santrauka Sienų tapyba, kaip architektūros elementas, per amžius turėjo įvairių paskirčių: magišką, simbolinę, estetinę. Freskos suteikė vietai prestižo, perdavė religinio turinio žinias ir įamžino svarbiausias įvykius. Kadangi sienų tapyba visuomet egzistuoja architektūriniame kontekste ir perima architektūrinės formos specifiką, jos negalime suvokti kaip visiškai autonomiško meno. Dėl savo masto, spalvos, simbolinės prasmės ir tam tikrais atvejais aukštos meninės vertės freskos yra išraiškingi orientyrai miesto erdvėje, padedantys geriau susivokti „kognityviuose žemėlapiuose“. Šalia tradicinės sienų tapybos neseniai architektūrinėje aplinkoje ėmė atsirasti naujomis technologijomis – skaitmenine, lazerine ar hologramomis – atlikti paveikslai. Jų meninė vertė yra ypač svarbi dėl jų estetinės, etinės ir edukacinės reikšmės.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document