Abstract
A multi-analytical study was carried out on an ancient Egyptian limestone stele with red figures and hieroglyphs (S. 6145) coming from the village of Deir el-Medina and belonging to the collection of the Museo Egizio (Turin, Italy). With the support of a multidisciplinary team, a project for the preservation and conservation of this stele provided an opportunity to carry out a very detailed study of the object. Petrographic and mineralogical analysis led to the characterization and dating of the limestone, and ultrasonic tests were of great help in shedding light on the state of preservation of the stele, as a preliminary to planning conservation treatment. The chemical nature of the red pigment was investigated by non-invasive spectroscopic analyses. Multispectral imaging and statistical image processing improved the readability of the hieroglyphs, whose preservation ranged from heavily compromised to almost completely invisible, revealing some signs that had previously not been visible.
Highlights
The Museo Egizio in Turin, Italy, houses one of the most important collections of ancient Egyptian antiquities in the world
Its two main sources are the Drovetti collection, purchased in 1824, and artifacts from a number of excavations conducted in Egypt by the director of the museum, Ernesto Schiaparelli, between 1903 and 1920, and by his successor, Giulio Farina, in the 1930s. Interdisciplinary investigations of this collection relying on collaborations with research and conservation institutions are at the forefront of the Museo Egizio’s current engagements
We carried out a detailed surface study to spot traces of drawings no longer visible to the naked eye, but possibly by other means, in order to prevent the risk of removing them during cleaning. This required the use of spectroscopic analysis, for investigating the nature of the red pigment, and of multiband imaging and statistical image processing, for improving the readability of the hieroglyphs
Summary
The Museo Egizio in Turin, Italy, houses one of the most important collections of ancient Egyptian antiquities in the world. Its two main sources are the Drovetti collection, purchased in 1824, and artifacts from a number of excavations conducted in Egypt by the director of the museum, Ernesto Schiaparelli, between 1903 and 1920, and by his successor, Giulio Farina, in the 1930s Interdisciplinary investigations of this collection relying on collaborations with research and conservation institutions are at the forefront of the Museo Egizio’s current engagements. We carried out a detailed surface study to spot traces of drawings no longer visible to the naked eye, but possibly by other means, in order to prevent the risk of removing them during cleaning This required the use of spectroscopic analysis, for investigating the nature of the red pigment, and of multiband imaging and statistical image processing, for improving the readability of the hieroglyphs
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