Experimental Study on the Efficacy of Cleaning Systems for the Removal of Previous Conservation Treatments from Tutankhamuns' Gilded Wooden Bed (original) (raw)

The investigation of Tutankhamuns' gilded wooden bed (Carter. No 377, GEM 14276) showed that the use of different organic materials during several restoration interventions since the discovery of the tomb included paraffin wax, mixture of rosin and paraffin wax and also mixture of rosin and bees wax [1, 2]. Unfortunately, their applications induced a drastic alteration of the interfacial properties of the object and lead to increased degradation as well as prevented the application of other materials for conservation [1, 3-5]. These previously added organic materials had to be removed, yet that had to be achieved without affecting the original gilding materials. The complete removal of these added materials is often a delicate problem, not only due to the lack of reversibility for resins or waxes, but also because of the poor cohesion of the gilded layer and its water sensitivity, as well as the thin thickness of gold leaves used in the bed. An important challenge for us is to f...

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