Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (19.2007(2010))

DEIR EL-BAHARI

EGYPT

CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION
OF WALL PAINTING IN THE SOUTHERN
CHAMBER OF AMUN OF THE HATSHEPSUT
TEMPLE IN DEIR EL-BAHARI

Izabela Uchman-Laskowska

The Southern Chamber of Amun belongs to
the Complex of Amun-Re, which is located
on the Upper Terrace of the Hatshepsut
Temple. The entrance to the chamber is
through a doorway in the southern wall of
the Upper Courtyard, close to its western
end, on the left side of the granite gate of the
Sanctuary of Amun-Re.
The decoration of the chamber can be
considered as one of the best preserved
original wall-paintings in the temple, with
full scenes which present Queen Hatshepsut
and Tuthmosis III making offerings to
Amun-Re and Amun-Min. The chamber is
one of the few places in the temple where
images of Hatshepsut have survived, though
her names in cartouches were changed. The
representation of the queen executed in
refined relief on the southern wall of the
chamber shows her in kingly costume,
including royal beard, white crown of Upper
Egypt and white pleated kilt. Her
complexion was rendered with red ochre.
The conservation and restoration
project started in 2006 and was continued
through 2007,1 covering the following
stages:

— preliminary survey,
— construction work,
— development of optimal conservation
methods based on selected media,
— conservation and restoration of the wall
painting and relief,
— esthetical arrangement of lacunas in the
limestone.
First, the condition of the painting was
analyzed with the objective of recognizing
degradation processes. Exposure to water,
dust, sand and stone debris coming through
a hole in the ceiling, where a big cuboidal
block of limestone is missing were found to
be major causes of damages to the painted
reliefs. The block must have fallen during
one of the earthquakes at an unspecified
time in the past.
The central part of the south wall
proved to be the most affected area. The
painting layer which originally covered the
representations of Amun-Re was damaged
almost completely. Colors had been washed
away and the smooth surface of the stone
had been abraded by dust transported in the
rainwater. The same process caused the
disappearance of polychromy from the

1

The conservation team comprised the following: Izabela Uchman-Laskowska (Chief Conservator, Academy of Fine Arts
in Warsaw), Monika Czerniec, Marlena Koczorowska-Pyzik, Maria Podkowinska-Lulkiewicz.

285

Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean 19, Reports 2007