The Conservation of a Group of Painted Mummy Cloths from Roman Egypt

Hillyer, Lynda

doi:10.2307/1505937

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Preparatory sketches were commonly drawn with a brush, with grey, black, and sometimes red marks. Shadows were also defined at this stage with more diluted brushstrokes of the same hue [ 15 ]. For encaustic painting, beeswax was melted and mixed with powdered pigments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Typically, a bronze or iron tool, called cauterium in Pliny’s Naturalis Historia [ 16 ], was used to unify the brushstrokes once the painting had solidified, thus obtaining the characteristic smooth and shiny aspect marks on the surface [ 5 ]. Pigments were almost always naturally occurring earth colours, as it was customary throughout the Pharaonic period, although there is evidence that the Romans introduced some innovations, notably red lead, and the use of madder [ 15 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Multi-Analytical Characterization and Radiocarbon Dating of a Roman Egyptian Mummy Portrait

Fovo

Fedi

Federico³

et al. 2021

Molecules

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Fayum mummy portraits, painted around 2000 years ago, represent a fascinating fusion of Egyptian and Graeco-Roman funerary and artistic traditions. Examination of these artworks may provide insight into the Roman Empire’s trade and economic and social structure during one of its most crucial yet still hazy times of transition. The lack of proper archaeological documentation of the numerous excavated portraits currently prevents their chronological dating, be it absolute or relative. So far, their production period has been defined essentially on the basis of the relevant differences in their pictorial style. Our study introduces the use of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS) to assess the age of a fragment of an encaustic painting belonging to the corpus of the Fayum portraits. The unexpected age resulting from 14C analysis suggests the need to reconsider previous assumptions regarding the period of production of the Fayum corpus. Furthermore, our multi-analytical, non-invasive approach yields further details regarding the fragment’s pictorial technique and constituting materials, based on spectral and morphological analysis and cross-sectional examination.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%