Posters will be on display in the AIC Exhibit Hall on Thursday, May 29, and Friday, May 30. Poster authors will be at their poster for a Q&A session on Friday, May 30, at 3:30pm.
Banner photo by Lane Pelovsky, Courtesy of Meet Minneapolis
The Mohamed Ali Palace Museum in Manial includes a rare collection of gilded wooden antiquities decorated with stained glass dating back to the era of the Mohamed Ali dynasty. The research aims to find out how to preserve these rare types of antiquities. The research deals with an archaeometric study of a gilded wooden antique inlaid with colored glass that was found to be in a severe state of deterioration. Which led to weakness and peeling of the gilded surface layer, corrosion and loss of the preparation layer, and its exposure to infection and microbiological damage as a result of its organic nature. Also, the stained glass was lost and damaged, and many areas of it were eroded. Therefore, the study aims to identify the manufacturing method, its components, and the extent of damage to which the piece under study has been exposed. The research includes the technical and historical study and the manufacturing method of the piece under study, including the various materials it contains, whether wood, colored glass, or layers of gilding, as well as identifying the signs of damage that the piece suffers from and the previous restorations that have been performed on it. A portable digital microscope (USB digital microscope) was used to conduct inspections to determine the condition of the antiquity by examining various areas of the piece and capturing the places of cracks, loss, and previous restorations. An optical microscope was also used to identify the wood used in the piece under study, also by conducting a set of analyses using X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), FTIR infrared spectrometer, this is to identify the components of the piece under study.
The study results in arriving at important points, which are the factors and manifestations of damage to the piece under study, as well as the composition of the antiquities, which are as follows: acacia wood, a preparation ground made of gypsum and calcite; gilding and animal glue used as an adhesive medium; silica glass, lime, and soda, and their different color shades. It is known as synthetic soda or soda lime, in addition to identifying previous restoration materials and thus arriving at an assessment of the condition of the piece.
