X-ray Imaging Investigation on the Gilding Technique of an Ancient Egyptian Taweret Wooden Statuette.

Luisa Vigorelli,Paola Buscaglia,Matilde Borla,Alessandro Lo Giudice,Alessandro Re,Laura Guidorzi,Federica Facchetti,Sabrina Grassini,Tiziana Cavaleri,Marco Nervo

doi:10.3390/jimaging7110229

Abstract

Diagnostic physical methods are increasingly applied to Cultural Heritage both for scientific investigations and conservation purposes. In particular, the X-ray imaging techniques of computed tomography (CT) and digital radiography (DR) are non-destructive investigation methods to study an object, being able to give information on its inner structure. In this paper, we present the results of the X-ray imaging study on an ancient Egyptian statuette (Late Period 722–30 BCE) belonging to the collection of Museo Egizio in Torino and representing an Egyptian goddess called Taweret, carved on wood and gilded with some colored details. Since few specific studies have been focused on materials and techniques used in Ancient Egypt for gilding, a detailed investigation was started in order to verify the technical features of the decoration in this sculpture. Specifically, DR and CT analyses have been performed at the Centro Conservazione e Restauro “La Venaria Reale” (CCR), with a new high resolution flat-panel detector, that allowed us to perform tomographic analysis reaching a final resolution better than the one achievable with the previous apparatus operating in the CCR.

Highlights

The application of computed tomography (CT) was introduced to the art and archaeological fields primarily as a tool for analysis of human and animal remains [3,4,5,6,7,8], and to study other kinds of objects made with various materials, such as glass, metal, clay, and wood [9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16]
Portable instruments are the best solution to analyze artworks on-site avoiding the transportation of fragile objects [3,17], in the framework of large restoration centers, where hundreds of important artworks are treated every year, it is useful to install a fixed apparatus. This is the case of the instrument working at the Centro Conservazione e Restauro “La Venaria Reale” (CCR) near Torino, in Italy
Belongs to the collection of Museo Egizio in Torino (Inventory Number Cat. 528). It is a representation of the ancient Egyptian goddess Taweret, whose name means “the great one”

Summary

Introduction

Portable instruments are the best solution to analyze artworks on-site avoiding the transportation of fragile objects [3,17], in the framework of large restoration centers, where hundreds of important artworks are treated every year, it is useful to install a fixed apparatus. This is the case of the instrument working at the Centro Conservazione e Restauro “La Venaria Reale” (CCR) near Torino, in Italy. Developed in the framework of the neu_ART project involving the National

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion