CHARACTERIZATION AND EXAMINATION OF PIGMENTS, GROUNDS AND MEDIA FROM ANCIENT EGYPTIAN CARTONNAGE

Abstract

An ancient Egyptian gilded Cartonnage with polychrome decoration period to late - Greek-Roman period found in Saqqara, Egypt was examined to characterize structure components(pigments, grounds layers and binder. It was studied by Optical Microscopy, X-ray diffraction(XRD), Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS), Scanning electron microscopycoupled with energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDS) and Fourier transform infraredspectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. These techniques were used to identify the composition andmorphology of grounds, nature of pigments and media used in the Cartonnage. The gildedCartonnage is made on a double layer of plain weave linen soaked in gum. The first Coarseground layer being a mixture of calcite and huntite. The second layer (finer one) being purewhite calcite, the pigment colors employed were red, yellow and gold. Red was identified ashematite blended with gypsum, yellow as Calcite mixture with orpiment and gypsum. Gildedlayer was identified as gold and silver with very thin layer of hematite and orpiment mixed withorganic binder applied under the gilded layer. The binding medium on a double layer of plainweave linen , the coarse and the fine layer and binder in the yellow and red pigment areaswas Arabic gum.