Crocodile mummy (PAHMA 6-20100) with painted mask and disk headdress, after treatment.
The treatment of PAHMA 6-20100, another Greco-Roman crocodile mummy, required the combined efforts of textile and object conservators. The mummy retains its linen wrappings as well as a painted gesso mask and a disk-shaped ornament that was probably once attached to the neck or head, thought to be a solar disk headdress. The linen bandages used to wrap the body form a lattice-like pattern of interlocking concentric squares, accentuated by red, yellow and black pigment applied to exposed portions of the linen strips. Below the linen wrappings longitudinal bundles of reeds bound crosswise with several types of plant fiber are visible.
Painted wrappings and interior plant fibers, dorsal surface of PAHMA 6-20100 before treatment.
The mummy’s dimensions, especially its flat, squat profile, raise questions about whether there is an adult crocodile concealed beneath the reeds and linen. Studies of animal mummies with imaging techniques like x-radiography and computed tomography are increasingly revealing that elaborately bandaged Greco-Roman animal mummies can contain much smaller animals, only bits of animals, or nothing at all.
In preparation for both a CT scan that could answer questions about its contents and for exhibition this April, we needed to stabilize the mummy’s brittle and crumbling plant elements, the cracked and flaking mask and the fragile linen bandages. Contract conservators Tom Fuller (objects, Northwest Objects Conservation) and Beth Szuhay (textiles, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco) joined forces to treat the mummy. The treatment combined widespread repair of individual damaged elements with a system of passive textile overlays (stitched only to each other, not to any of the original linen wrappings) to support the mummy and hold elements in place. The overlay system consists of a large sheer polyester fabric overlay that covers the underside of the crocodile and local overlays that span the top surfaces, allowing the vibrant pigments and intricate wrapping pattern to be visible.
The conservators began by examining and documenting the crocodile mummy. As they observed that all of the linen strips wrapped around the body were broken, they realized that they needed to determine if any covering was present on the underside of the crocodile in order to design a comprehensive treatment. After initial documentation, cleaning and stabilization of loose fibers and flaking mask surfaces, Tom outfitted the mummy with rigid epoxy putty ribs which allowed conservators to invert the crocodile and work on its underside.
PAHMA 6-20100 with epoxy putty ribs before inversion.
Conservators wrap the mummy and its epoxy putty carapace with Vetrap bandages and straps before turning it over.
With the epoxy carapace in place, the mummy was flipped, revealing an equally unstable ventral surface that did not have any of the painted lattice pattern bandaging found on the dorsal surface. It appears that the elaborately decorated textile wrappings were placed only on the upper surface of the mummy.
Underside of PAHMA 6-20100 after inversion.
Broken and displaced linen wrappings and plant fiber elements on underside of PAHMA 6-20100 before treatment.
While the mummy was inverted, Tom realigned the broken reed/plant fiber elements and mended them with Japanese tissue paper and Cellofas, a water soluble adhesive composed of sodium carboxylmethyl cellulose. Beth realigned linen strips, secured loose plant fiber elements to a sheer polyester underlay, and covered the underside of the mummy with a sheer polyester overlay on the bias. The overlay had been prepared with running stitches oriented perpendicularly to the crocodile. These kept the tension of the fabric during treatment.
Conservators realign and mend elements on the underside of PAHMA 6-20100 before placement of the sheer overlay.
Conservators adjust the sheer polyester overlay on the underside of the crocodile mummy.
Once the underside had been stabilized, the crocodile was turned again and placed on a cotton muslin pillow stuffed with needle-punched polyester felt. After the epoxy putty carapace was removed, broken plant fiber elements on the top surfaces were realigned and repaired, and the linen wrapping fragments were aligned. Beth created a series of local silk crepeline overlays that span the dorsal surface of the crocodile, holding the linen and plant fiber material in place. The silk crepeline overlays were dyed with Lanaset pre-metallized acid dyes to compliment the surrounding linen and secured by stitching them to the polyester overlay on the underside of the mummy.
Sheer silk crepeline overlays on the dorsal surface of PAHMA 6-20100.
The running stitches in the lower polyester overlay were removed once the crepeline had been stitched in place. The repaired mummy is now snugly encased in the network of sheer overlays, making it much safer to study and display.
The treatment of PAHMA 6-20100, another Greco-Roman crocodile mummy, required the combined efforts of textile and object conservators. The mummy retains its linen wrappings as well as a painted gesso mask and a disk-shaped ornament that was probably once attached to the neck or head, thought to be a solar disk headdress. The linen bandages used to wrap the body form a lattice-like pattern of interlocking concentric squares, accentuated by red, yellow and black pigment applied to exposed portions of the linen strips. Below the linen wrappings longitudinal bundles of reeds bound crosswise with several types of plant fiber are visible.
The mummy’s dimensions, especially its flat, squat profile, raise questions about whether there is an adult crocodile concealed beneath the reeds and linen. Studies of animal mummies with imaging techniques like x-radiography and computed tomography are increasingly revealing that elaborately bandaged Greco-Roman animal mummies can contain much smaller animals, only bits of animals, or nothing at all.
In preparation for both a CT scan that could answer questions about its contents and for exhibition this April, we needed to stabilize the mummy's brittle and crumbling plant elements, the cracked and flaking mask and the fragile linen bandages. Contract conservators Tom Fuller (objects, Northwest Objects Conservation) and Beth Szuhay (textiles, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco) joined forces to treat the mummy. The treatment combined widespread repair of individual damaged elements with a system of passive textile overlays (stitched only to each other, not to any of the original linen wrappings) to support the mummy and hold elements in place. The overlay system consists of a large sheer polyester fabric overlay that covers the underside of the crocodile and local overlays that span the top surfaces, allowing the vibrant pigment and intricate wrapping pattern to be visible.
The conservators began by examining and documenting the crocodile mummy. As they observed that all of the linen strips wrapped around the body were broken, they realized that they needed to determine if any covering was present on the underside of the crocodile in order to design a comprehensive treatment. After initial documentation, cleaning and stabilization of loose fibers and flaking mask surfaces, Tom outfitted the mummy with rigid epoxy putty ribs which allowed conservators to invert the crocodile and work on its underside.
With the epoxy carapace in place, the mummy was flipped, revealing an equally unstable ventral surface that did not have any of the painted lattice pattern bandaging found on the dorsal surface. It appears that the elaborately decorated textile wrappings were placed only on the upper surface of the mummy.
While the mummy was inverted, Tom realigned the broken reed/plant fiber elements and mended them with Japanese tissue paper and Cellofas, a water soluble adhesive composed of sodium carboxylmethyl cellulose. Beth realigned linen strips, secured loose plant fiber elements to a sheer polyester underlay, and covered the underside of the mummy with a sheer polyester overlay on the bias. The overlay had been prepared with running stitches oriented perpendicularly to the crocodile. These kept the tension of the fabric during treatment.
Once the underside had been stabilized, the crocodile was turned again and placed on a cotton muslin pillow stuffed with needle-punched polyester felt. After the epoxy putty carapace was removed, broken plant fiber elements on the top surfaces were realigned and repaired, and the linen wrapping fragments were aligned. Beth created a series of local silk crepeline overlays that span the dorsal surface of the crocodile, holding the linen and plant fiber material in place. The silk crepeline overlays were dyed with Lanaset pre-metallized acid dyes to compliment the surrounding linen and secured by stitching them to the polyester overlay on the underside of the mummy.
The running stitches in the lower polyester overlay were removed once the crepeline had been stitched in place. The repaired mummy is now snugly encased in the network of sheer overlays, making it much safer to study and display.
{ 2 } Comments
thanks for such a descriptive post on the condition and treatment of this mummy. such a fascinating treatment! i also really like the images of how the mummy was supported and flipped over.
Wow, I’m really impressed with the mounting structure before it was flipped. I wonder if the weight of the putty caused some thoughts before it was applied. How fragile is the crocodile? I would loved to have seen it flipped, the 1..2..3
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