Conservation of objects for the exhibition Mummies of Ancient Egypt. The Art of Immortality

Title Mummies of animals and birds
School Ancient Egypt
Conservator(s) Olyesya Popova
Workshop Objects Conservation
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From 2020 to 2022, extensive treatments were carried out at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts to prepare exhibits from the museum's collection for the exhibition Ancient Egyptian Mummies. The Art of Immortality. Among the conserved objects were those connected with the funeral rites of ancient Egyptians, human and animal mummies, sarcophagi, cardboard masks and mummy covers. Most of the exhibits are on display for the first time. The objects are made of stone, wood, metal, fired clay and fabric.

Most of the objects came to the museum in 1911 from the collection of the first Russian egyptologist, V. Golenishchev. Others came in 1924, 1934 and 1940 from the Museum-Institute for the Classical Orient, which in 1918-1924 amassed the nationalised collections of pre-revolutionary museums and estates, as well as from the collections of A. Prakhov (1846-1916), A. Zhivago (1860-1940) and some other collectors.

Twenty-nine animal and bird mummies were sent to the Textile Conservation Workshop from the Department of Ancient Eastern Art, but not all of them were included in the exhibition because they were in a very poor condition.

Mummified animals were placed in burials not only because they were favourites of their owners during their life, but also because they were perceived as a food reserve, so that the deceased had food to eat in the afterlife. Animals personifying a particular deity were kept in shrines and were also embalmed after death. Furthermore, animal mummies were brought to the temples as votive gifts in gratitude for this or that favour from the deity.  

During the examination it was discovered that the linen bandages used for swaddling animal mummies, now in the collection of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, are very fragile, badly dried out and rotten in places. In many cases there were losses, tears, heavy dust contamination, as well as severe deformations, through cuts and changes in the shape of the mummies. The paint layer of the cardboard parts had crumbling, flaking and abrasions.

Prior to the restoration and conservation, each item underwent an antiseptic treatment. Surface dust contamination was then removed with a soft brush using a restoration vacuum cleaner, and the hard dark contamination was removed with a scalpel where possible. The exposed areas of the mummies - skin, beaks, claws, feathers - were cleaned with small, semi-damp cotton swabs. Depending on the condition, tears and loosened tissue fragments were fixed either with glue or with a needle and silk thread. Some large losses were lined in places. Paint layers and cardboard bases were cleaned and reinforced. Subsequently, an acid-free cardboard storage box was made for each mummy.

 

The bird mummies (falcon, hawk, ibis) submitted for treatments were in varying degrees of preservation. The large mummies were best preserved, with good quality swaddling. Preservation of tissues on smaller mummies is much worse. The heads of some mummies were lost. There is a cardboard mask on the hawk mummy. Falcon was the most worshipped bird of Ancient Egypt, the patron and protector of the pharaohs, it was identified with the god of celestial heights Horus. Ibis is the sacred bird of Thoth, the god of wisdom and writing. Computer tomography data shows the skeletons of two doves inside the ibis' pseudomummy.

One of the most unusual exhibits received for treatments is a child's pseudomummy. It is made of a mass that resembles cement in colour and structure. The outside of the pseudomummy is wrapped in bandages soaked in a black substance. The face is covered with a brown plaster paste. The facial features (eyes, nose, lips) are sketched in black paint. On top of the pseudomummy, under the bandages, are authentic fragments of painted cardboard. These forgeries were probably made by antiquities dealers in Egypt in the 19th century, as child mummies were extremely rare and valued highly.

The dog's (puppy's) pseudomummy is small in size. According to the CT scan, there is a dense cylindrical object inside. The ears of the pseudomummy are made of chipped tubular bones. The pseudomummy is wrapped in linen bandages of two colours (undyed linen and light brown). The upper part is probably covered with plaster, no traces of paint were found. The imitation mummy of a dog, dedicated to the god Anubis, could have been made at the centre of worship of this deity.

Mummies of snakes wrapped in linen cloth. Inside are six to nine snakes. The snake in ancient Egypt was one of the most powerful amulets, in particular the protector of royal power. It was also regarded as the embodiment of the harvest goddess Renenutet.

The bird mummies (falcon, hawk, ibis) submitted for treatments were in varying degrees of preservation. The large mummies were best preserved, with good quality swaddling. Preservation of tissues on smaller mummies is much worse. The heads of some mummies were lost. There is a cardboard mask on the hawk mummy. Falcon was the most worshipped bird of Ancient Egypt, the patron and protector of the pharaohs, it was identified with the god of celestial heights Horus. Ibis is the sacred bird of Thoth, the god of wisdom and writing. Computer tomography data shows the skeletons of two doves inside the ibis' pseudomummy.

The kitten's mummy is wrapped in narrow bandages in two colours. The muzzle and ears are painted in black and red. CT images showed damage to the cervical vertebrae. The kitten may have been purposely killed to be offered to the temple as a votive gift to the patron goddess of women, Bastet.

Mummies of crocodiles and their young. The larger specimens are saddled with bandages of two colours, arranged in rectangles. The eyes are made in different appliquéd techniques. The babies are wrapped much more simply with bandages of different widths made of linen cloth of plain weave. The crocodile was a sacred animal of Sebek, the god of water. The sacred reptiles were asked for protection against dangerous crocodiles when crossing the Nile, and for a high flood of the river to ensure crops.

Mummies of crocodiles and their young. The larger specimens are saddled with bandages of two colours, arranged in rectangles. The eyes are made in different appliquéd techniques. The babies are wrapped much more simply with bandages of different widths made of linen cloth of plain weave. The crocodile was a sacred animal of Sebek, the god of water. The sacred reptiles were asked for protection against dangerous crocodiles when crossing the Nile, and for a high flood of the river to ensure crops.