Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (19.2007(2010))

BANGANARTI

SUDAN

APPENDIX 2
CONSERVATION WORKS IN 2007
Dorota Moryto-Naumiuk and Lucyna Piekacz

The main objective of the conservation
season this year (in January and February)
was the transfer of two wall paintings from
the Lower Church in preparation for their
transfer to Poland. Current conservation
work included protection of the so-called
“Blind Ali” graffito on a pillar in the West
Portico of the Church, over which a shelter
roofing was built to preserve it in situ, and
conservation of the wall plastering on the
western and eastern facades of the Upper
Church where the plaster showed a tendency
to become detached from the wall. The
conservators also stepped in to preserve the
newly found painting in test trench 4b and
to take emergency action on the wall
paintings in Chapels 3 and 4 of the Upper
Church after monitoring revealed problems.
MURAL TRANSFER
The lime plaster of the murals at issue,
namely, the Anastasis and St. Sisinnios
trampling a female demon from the western
part of the south wall of the nave of the
Lower Church, two years after the discovery
was in poor condition, having lost both
cohesion and adhesion to wall. One of the
reasons for this was the migration of salts to
the painting surface and their crystallization
between the plaster and the coats of
limewash, resulting in detachment of the
latter. In this situation, transfer was deemed
the only effective solution to save these
murals.

The first step was consolidation of the
technological coats with injections of
KLUCEL G in an alcohol solution (three
spoons glue dissolved in minimal water and
mixed with 1 liter alcohol). The paint coat
was then impregnated with PARALOID B-72
in toluene (one part resin to 12 parts
solvent), protecting it while existing gaps
were filled with putties. For the bigger
cavities the putty used was made of one part
lime, two parts local clay, three parts sand
with minimal PRIMAL E330. Smaller spots
of crushed plaster and small cavities
(especially those made by termites) were
filled with easily removable putty made of
skin glue (one part glue and six parts talcum
powder with pigments). After filling the
cavities, another coat of PARALOID B72 in
toluene (same proportion as before) was
applied.
Even while these steps were being taken,
tests of glues for fixing the facing coats were
underway. Previous on-site experience
indicated the usefulness of KLUCEL G in
water solution for small-size paintings, but
for murals the size of the ones in question, it
was necessary to use stronger glue. Tests
with removing facings pointed to skin glue
1:6 with water as the better solution.
To make the facing, two to three coats of
Japanese tissue were applied to the entire
painting surface. Next came a synthetic
textile resembling silk which was glued with
suitably wide margins for fixing the textile

Polish Archaeology in che Mediterranean 19, Reports 2007

339