A new light on the grounds, pigments and bindings used in ancient Egyptian cartonnages from Tell Al Sawa, Eastern Delta, Egypt

摘要

Six mummies and their and cartonnages found at Tell Al Sawa, Eastern Delta, Egypt, provided 20 fragments of cartonnage for analysis to determine if the initial attribution of their age to the late period was correct. The cartonnage fragments were examined using SEM-EDAXS and FT-IR spectroscopy, and the results revealed that they comprised linen supports over a preparatory layer either of calcite or gypsum alone or in admixture mixed with organic binding medium of animal glue. The paint layer was applied using either natural mineral oxide earths such as iron oxide and lead oxide, strontium carbonate or the synthetic pigment Egyptian blue. The binding medium was found to be gum arabic. The pigment characterization revealed the unusual presence of a zinc silicate, noted in Egyptian painting for the first time.