Decorated Surfaces on Ancient Egyptian Objects. Technology, Deterioration and Conservation, 2010, 191 p., 85 ill. coul. -

From monumental tomb paintings to delicate ivories, ancient Egyptian objects are some of the most complex and fragile encountered by archaeologists, curators and conservators. Those who examine, analyse and treat them face a number of practical and ethical challenges. This volume of papers (Proceedings of a conference held in Cambridge, UK on 7-8 September 2007), by an international group of experts, focuses on decorated surfaces including polychrome wood, coloured basketry, patinated metal and painted textile. Aspects of technology, investigation and treatment are examined, as well as broader issues of preservation, storage and display. A comprehensive review of past and current treatments for organic objects is followed by thought provoking case studies, technical surveys and innovative solutions to conservation problems. Wide-ranging, authoritative and accessible, this book is essential reading for anyone concerned with the study and care of ancient Egyptian objects. Contents : R. A. Stein, P. Lacovara, Observations on the preparation layers found on ancient Egyptian decorated coffins in the Michael C. Carlos Museum ; A. Heywood, Lead cladding on a wooden royal figure: an unusual ancient surface reconstructed : M. M. Rifai, N. M.N. El Hadidi, Investigation and analysis of three gilded wood samples from the tomb of Tutankhamun ; S. Pages-Camagna, H. Guichard, Egyptian colours and pigments in French collections: 30 years of physicochemical analyses on 300 objects ; D. A. Scott, Greener shades of pale: a review of advances in the characterisation of ancient Egyptian green pigments ; F. Shearman, Patina and polychromy: reconstructing some technical histories for small Egyptian bronze sculpture in the British Museum ; P. Parkes, D. Watkinson, Computed tomography and X-radiography of a coffin from Dynasty 21/22 ; S. Gansicke, The conservation of decorated organic Egyptian surfaces: a literature review ; P. Hatchfield, G. Ryan, Selected case studies in the treatment and preservation of Middle Kingdom polychrome wood in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston ; B. Wills, M. Hacke, Ancient Egyptian basketry: investigation, conservation and colour ; H. Kariya, L. Bruno, J. Godfrey, T. March, Treatment of a Dynasty 18 painted coffin, 37.47E a-e (Abbott Collection 405A) ; S. Rowe, R. Siddall, R. Stacey, Roman Egyptian gilded cartonnage: technical study and conservation of a mummy mask from Hawara ; L. R. Spaabæk, Deterioration and damage on encaustic mummy portraits ; J. Williams, The conservation treatment of the Roman Egyptian paintings in the Hearst Museum of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley ; S. Pages-Camagna et al., The new life of Crispina: scientific analyses and conservation of an Egyptian painted shroud of the Roman period ; M. Svoboda, M. Walton, Material investigations of the J. Paul Getty Museum's red-shroud mummy ; V. Vlkova Antoniou, Issues in the display of Egyptian decorated material ; N. Lokma, Emergency stabilisation and removal of the termite-damaged coffins found in Tomb KV-63, Valley of the Kings, Luxor.