13 February 2010
After four weeks, we do have some encouraging progress to report.
Our SCA conservators (Ahmed Baghdady, Mohammed Mahmoud and Zaref Basili) have recently reattached Coffin B’s facemask to the lid. The unattached mask had been strange to behold, but now that it is back in it’s proper place it presents a more favorable appearance. See ‘Photos ~ 2010’ for images of the stages of restoration of the facemask including the final result. Further removal of resin from the lid of Coffin B proved useless --- we only found unadorned wood.
We are in the process of checking the texts on the Coffin A’s fragments. Last season we uncovered inscriptions identifying the owner as a “Royal Nurse, Iny.” The glass inlays for part of the eyes and the incised inscriptions suggested a rather exemplary coffin. Gold leaf added to that opinion. In cleaning, we found an incised collar at the sides that turned inward and unites under the crossed arms. The details are sketchy due to the poor preservation, but there is definitely more gold leaf, red (ochre?) and traces of blue inlays. Chicago House artist, Sue Osgood, is adding what remains of this collar to her drawing of the coffin lid.
In addition to cleaning and illustrating the collar of Coffin A, the SCA conservators plan to do more consolidation and repair on the facemask and join sections of the lappets (side ends of wig).
Artist Laurel Darcy Hackley is currently with us. She drew some ceramics and is presently working on some seal impressions with the help of some little assistants (see ‘2010 ~ Photos’).
Ali “Bes” Abdullah and Ahmed Attira have been mending pottery. We have many fragments of the KV-54 types C and D (after Winlock’s Pottery Corpus in his Materials Used at the Embalming of King Tut-ankh-amun, NY, 1941 on pls. IX-X). We will not try to mend them all, but will do enough to get a general idea of the approximate numbers of each type. Ahmed Attiya (a different Ahmed) has been working on mending some of our large blue painted jars (similar to Winlock’s Type G). The KV-63 examples include some ten examples of blue-painted ceramics plus some red slipware (pottery).
Botanist Dr. Ahmed Fahmy of Helwan University was with us at the start of the season to study KV-63’s botanical items (leaves, wood, flowers). Salima Ikram was with us for several weeks and studied our collection of “unbaked clay trays.” Winlock’s Corpus item “T” features several similar mud trays from KV-54, the well-known embalming cache of King Tutankhamun, In comparison with KV-54 we estimate that KV-63 possesses 40 or more similar mud trays.
Saied Hamed (from ARCE’s Karnak conservation lab) has been allowed to examine the tiny infant Coffin (D). We hope the means can be found to remove the resin or lacquer, which now covers the exterior coffin. Painted eyes, lips, etc. can be seen through the coating, and very likely the face is gilt (gold covered). Coffin D has now been registered (Reg. No. 40) and transported to Karnak where it awaits transfer to the Luxor Museum lab where Saied will begin the elaborate chemical process of removing the resin.
Coffin F will be examined some time this season.
Pia Rodriguez (who worked with us in 2006), Nieves Lopez and Elena de Gregorio of the Spanish Mission stopped by to visit. We also had the pleasure of meeting Ohioan tourists --- Terry, Dave, Uncle Tom and young Karli, who mummified her cat years ago.
Newly arrived staff includes Photographer Archie Chubb (Canada) and Recorder Betty Schneider (Massachusetts). In a few days, Brent Benjamin (Ohio) will join us.
More badein …..
Mudir Schaden
19 January 2010