Bleaching of red lake paints in encaustic mummy portraits
Source abstract
Abstract
The present paper reports on the study of the development of whitish opacity in pink paints in encaustic mummy portraits. Non-invasive measurements carried out on two encaustic portraits belonging to the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen, by reflectance FTIR and UV-vis fluorescence have shown that the areas prone to the bleaching phenomenon had been painted with melted beeswax and an anthraquinone vegetal lake mixed with calcium sulphate hemihydrate and dihydrate. The hypothesis that the bleaching disease was neither related to a degradation of the dyes nor to an alteration of the wax but rather to a dehydration-hydration reaction of the CaSO4-H2O system, has been corroborated by the analyses of two microsamples from the bleached areas and ascertained by accelerated ageing experiments on encaustic models.
Source: openaire · Quality: candidate unverified · Source record ↗
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis · Building materials and conservation · Mineralogy and Gemology Studies
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
References (33)
Show source-provided references
1. C. Cartwright, A. Middleton, Br. Mus. Tech. Res. Bull. 2, 59 (2008)
2. A.C. Aufderheide, The Scientific Study of Mummy (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2003)
3. E.C. Dioxiadis, Technique in Ancient Faces: Mummy Portraits from Roman Egypt (British Museum Press, London, 1997), ed. by S. Walker, M. Bierbrier
4. C. Cartwright, Wood Identification in Ancient Faces: Mummy Portraits from Roman Egypt (British Museum Press, London, 1997), ed. by S. Walker, M. Bierbrier
5. V. Asensi Amoros, S. Colinart, M. Fabre, C. Gras, H. Guichard, D. Jaunard, S. Watelet, Technè 13–14, 119 (2001)
6. S. Colinart, S. Grappin-Wsevolojsky, in C. ICOMCC 12th Triennal Meeting, Lyon (1999), p. 213
7. H. Kuhn, Stud. Conserv. 5, 71 (1960)10.1179/sic.1960.013 ↗
8. W.J. Russel, Egyptian Colours in Medum (W.M. Flinders Petrie, D. Nutt, London, 1892)
9. B. Ramer, Stud. Conserv. 24, 1 (1979)10.1179/sic.1979.001 ↗
10. L. Spaabaek, in Conference Cambridge 2007, ed. by C. Rozeik (2007, in press)
11. L. Spaabaek, in Decorated surfaces on ancient Egyptian objects: Technology, Deterioration and Conservation (2007, in press)
12. Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia (Loeb Classical Library, Cambridge, 1952), trans. H. Rackman
13. C. Clementi, C. Miliani, A. Romani, G. Favaro, Spectrochim. Acta A 64, 906 (2006)10.1016/j.saa.2005.08.024 ↗
14. C. Clementi, C. Miliani, G. Verri, S. Sotiropoulou, A. Romani, B.G. Brunetti, A. Sgamellotti, Appl. Spectrosc. 63, 1323 (2009)10.1366/000370209790109058 ↗
15. L. Spaabaek, Conservation of Mummy Portraits at the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek: Living Images (Left Coast Press, Inc., Walnut Creek, 2007), ed. by J. Picton, S. Quirke, P. Roberts
16. S. Pagès-Camagna, A.S. Le Hô, in Analyses de Laboratoire des Matériaux Colorés et de la Technique des Portraits du Fayoum (Kheops, Paris, 2008), pp. 41–55
17. C. Miliani, F. Rosi, A. Burnstock, B.G. Brunetti, A. Sgamellotti, Appl. Phys. A 89, 849 (2007)10.1007/s00339-007-4222-3 ↗
18. C. Clementi, B. Doherty, P.L. Gentili, C. Miliani, A. Romani, B.G. Brunetti, A. Sgamellotti, Appl. Phys. A 92, 25 (2008)10.1007/s00339-008-4474-6 ↗
19. C. Clementi, W. Nowik, A. Romani, F. Cibin, G. Favaro, Anal. Chim. Acta 596, 46 (2007)10.1016/j.aca.2007.05.036 ↗
20. C. Ricci, C. Miliani, B.G. Brunetti, A. Sgamellotti, Talanta 69, 1221 (2006)10.1016/j.talanta.2005.12.054 ↗
21. P.R.S. Prasad, V.K. Chaitanya, K.S. Prasad, D.N. Rao, Am. Mineral. 90, 672 (2005)10.2138/am.2005.1742 ↗
22. J. Bensted, S. Prakash, Nature 219, 60 (1968)10.1038/219060a0 ↗
23. P. Ballirano, A. Maras, S. Meloni, R. Caminiti, Eur. J. Mineral. 13, 985 (2001)10.1127/0935-1221/2001/0013/0985 ↗
24. L. Robinet, M. Corbeil, Stud. Conserv. 48, 23 (2003)10.1179/sic.2003.48.4.263 ↗
25. M.S. Walton, K. Trentelman, Archaeometry 50 (2008), doi: 10.1111/j.1475-4754.2008.00440.x10.1111/j.1475-4754.2008.00440.x ↗
26. E. Van Elslande, V. Guérineau, V. Thirioux, G. Richard, P. Richardin, O. Laprévote, G. Hussler, P. Walter, Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 390, 1873 (2008)10.1007/s00216-008-1924-0 ↗
27. G.A. Mazzocchin, F. Agnoli, S. Mazzocchin, Anal. Chim. Acta 475, 181 (2003)10.1016/S0003-2670(02)01227-8 ↗
28. A. Wallert, Stud. Conserv. 40, 177 (1995)10.1179/sic.1995.40.3.177 ↗
29. C. Higgitt, P. Peggie, J. Kirby, Scientific Department, The National Gallery, London, internal report dated 3 November 2006 on analyses carried out for Lucy Wrapson, the Hamilton Kerr Institute, University of Cambridge, on Fayoum portraits in the Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge, Inv. nos 2284 and 2285. Private communication, Jo Kirby
30. F. Mees, M. De Dapper, Sediment. Geol. 181, 225 (2005)10.1016/j.sedgeo.2005.09.002 ↗
31. J.H. Townsend, Thermochim. Acta 365, 79 (2000)10.1016/S0040-6031(00)00615-8 ↗
32. A.E. Charola, J. Puhringer, M. Steiger, Environ. Geol. 52, 339 (2007)10.1007/s00254-006-0566-9 ↗
33. L. Spaabaek, Master thesis, The School of Conservation, The Danish Academy of fine Arts, Copenhagen, 2006