Non-invasive chemical imaging reveals the art of ancient egyptian painters
An interdisciplinary collaboration between the Centre Européen d'Archéométrie (ULiège), the CNRS, Sorbonne University and Grenoble Alpes University, as part of a wide-ranging research programme coordinated with the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, has revealed creative freedoms in the production of two Egyptian funerary paintings, dated to around 1,400 and 1,200 BC. This study has revealed hitherto unknown artistic phenomena that could not be observed with the naked eye and has been published in PLOS ONE.
T
here is no known word for art in the Egyptian language. On the other hand, ancient Egyptian civilisation is too often perceived as being highly formal in its expression, and the work of the painters in the funerary chapels is no exception to this prejudice.
An international, interdisciplinary team led by Philippe Martinez and Philippe Walter (CNRS), bringing together the Laboratoire d'Archéologie Moléculaire et Structurale (CNRS/Sorbonne University), the Centre Européen d'Archéométrie (ULiège) and the Institut Néel of the CNRS as part of a vast research programme coordinated with the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, has nevertheless revealed pictorial gestures and practices that were previously unknown because they were difficult to perceive.
"It was by studying the representation of Ramses II in the tomb of Nakhtamon, a priest responsible for the daily nourishment of the altars of the Ramesseum and the 'Castle of Millions of Years' of Ramses II," explains Philippe Martinez, first author and researcher at the CNRS, but also the paintings in the tomb of Menna, responsible for the estates of the Lord of the Two Lands for Upper and Lower Egypt and the proper management of their agricultural production, among the hundreds of tombs of Luxor nobles, which we discovered traces of retouching carried out throughout their design. "
For example, the depiction of Ramses II has been extensively altered: the headdress, the necklace, and his sceptre have been significantly altered, even though they are invisible to the naked eye. In an adoration scene from the tomb of Menna, the position and colour of one arm have been altered. The pigments used, particularly for the flesh colour, differ from the first version, demonstrating the need for subtle changes whose original purpose is still very difficult to ascertain. The painter or "scribe-draughtsman" was thus able to add his personal touch to conventional motifs, either at the client's request or following a change in his project.
The scientists made this discovery thanks to new portable imaging and chemical analysis technologies that make it possible to study the works in situ, without damaging them. The colours modified by time and their physicochemical evolution have lost their original reality. Still, the chemical analysis and 3D digital representation carried out by the team using photogrammetry and macro photography should enable them to be restored to their original colourimetry and change our perception of these masterpieces that we too often think are eternal and unchanged.
"Since our first mission to Egypt in 2007, the CEA has greatly extended and improved its non-invasive analysis capabilities, which makes transport easier, but above all, increases the amount of scientific data acquired during in situ missions. This mobile laboratory enables us to carry out measurements on archaeological sites such as Luxor, Ostia, Tunis and Germigny-des-Prés, as well as in numerous museums such as the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, the Fondation Beyeler in Basel and the Château de Versailles," says David Strivay, Professor at ULiège (Art, Archaeology and Heritage Research Unit - Faculty of Science) and President of the CEA.
For Catherine Defeyt, also a researcher at ULiège, "the methodology we developed for projects such as Magritte on Practice and Face to Face has been transposed to studying the decorations in Theban tombs. The serial approach we have adopted enables us to highlight what stems from the tradition and to point out the technical particularities of one tomb to another.
This study shows that Pharaonic art and the conditions under which it was produced were certainly more complex and fluid than previously thought. The scientists' next task will be to analyse other paintings in search of new traces of ancient Egyptian scribe-drawers' skills and intellectual identity.
Scientific references
Martinez P. et al, Hidden mysteries in Ancient Egyptian paintings from the Theban Necropolis observed by in-situ XRF mapping, PLOS ONE, 12 July 2023.
ULiège's Centre Européen d'Archéométrie had already been involved in the analysis of the Menna tomb in 2007, in collaboration with Melinda Hartwig.
- The Tomb Chapel of Menna TT 69 by Melinda Hartwig, The American University in Cairo Press (2020).
- Vandenabeele P, Garcia-Moreno R, Mathis F, Leterme K, Van Elslande E, Hocquet FP, Rakkaa S, Laboury D, Moens L, Strivay D, Hartwig M. Multi-disciplinary investigation of the tomb of Menna (TT69), Theban Necropolis, Egypt. Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc. 2009 Aug;73(3):546-52.
