Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (15.2003(2004))

WEST SAQQARA

EGYPT

hyperchromatism appearing as a result of removed by washing with acetone after ten
this procedure, an effect that needed to be days had passed.
CHAPEL 15

The polychromy found on the west wall
just north of the entrance to the newly
discovered chapel is fairly well preserved,
except for some detachments and peeling
of the painted layer. Large sections of the
relief decorating other walls of the chapel
have lost their original polychromy, bits of
the painted decoration being found on the
surface of the fill. The decoration of the
north wall was damaged extensively, the
rock here having collapsed because of
a later shaft cut too close on the other side
(Figs. 1,2). Parts of an offering list
decorating this wall lay in the debris. The
remains of the polychromy on the surface
of these fragments were secured with
a solution of Paraloid B72 in acetone
with alcohol added. A reconstruction of
the decoration will be attempted. On the
east wall of the chapel the remains of
painting are insignificant and found only
in the northern end. The decoration on the
south wall was never completed, the sketch
lines still being visible.
Large parts of the drawing can be seen
cut in the mortar that fills the crumbling
and missing cavities in the rock. Gypsum
appears to have been the main component
of this mortar, similarly as in the case of
the Merefnebef chapel. The use of mortar
for this purpose was due to the extremely
poor quality of the indigenous rock. Large
losses in the southern thickness of the
doorway were completed with stone blocks
bonded in gypsum mortar (as above).
Remnants of mortar used to level the rock
surface are also to be seen on the facade,
but no trace of any decoration in relief or
painting has been preserved in this spot.
Fillings are particularly extensive on the

south wall of the chapel, the east wall and
the southern part of the west wall.
Two layers of different mortar are
visible in places. The above described
mortar occurs deeper, is coarse-grained and
has a pale pinkish color. The other one is
a finer-grained, thin cream-to-white layer
on the surface of the pinkish one. Sketch
lines, in black and red, can be seen in a few
places on the upper mortar layer, under the
paint layer. The mortar is very friable,
crumbling under the touch.
The ceiling of the room, painted red to
imitate granite, displays many cracks,
some as broad as 0.5 cm, resembling those
in the vizier's chapel. The polychromy on
the ceiling is powdering, the rock
decomposing and displaced in places.
The detached and disintegrating layers
of painting had to be treated first.
A solution of Paraloid B-72 (5-7%) in
acetone with alcohol was dripped in.
Melinex was then applied and the
endangered parts of the polychromy
pressed to the wall to mount them in place.
This procedure was repeated several times
as required. The mortar in particular had
to be treated. The reinforced parts of the
decoration had to be stuck to a matrix (as
needed) using a water solution of Primal
E330 (6-8%) or AC-33 (10-12%). Each
application of PRIMAL was preceded by
dampening the area in question with
a water solution of alcohol (1:1).
Detached edges of decoration executed
in the mortar filling (sticking c. 0.2-
0.5 mm away from the matrix) were
secured with bands made of lute having
Primal AC-33 (10-12%) as the base and
calcium carbonate chalk, fine-grained sand

127