Painted Surfaces On Mud Plaster And Three-Dimensional Mud Elements: The Status Of Conservation Treatments And Recommendations For Continuing Research

Abstract

The Greco-Roman sites of the Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt, contain outstanding architectural decoration executed in late antiquity. Classically inspired mural paintings, late Pharonic religious murals, tomb paintings, lengthy inscriptions in literary Greek, and a modeled and decorated niche, have all been found and will continue to be uncovered as excavations go forward. Remarkably, this complex and beautiful corpus of cultural material has humble origins: it is created mostly from mud plaster or modeled mud, although there is also some modeled gypsum plaster, and embellished with simple tempera paints. The broad purpose of this paper is to provide a status report on the conservation problems that have been encountered, and the treatments developed, in the course of several years of excavation, study and implementation at the site of Amheida.