An Adult Female Mummy dated to the Ptolemaic Period (305-30 B.C.E)
This mummy was bought by Dr. John Goucher in Egypt in 1895 for a collection of art and archaeological objects at the Woman's College of Baltimore (now Goucher College). Dr. Goucher partially unwrapped the mummy in August of that year, though it is unknown when the entire upper section and feet of the mummy were further unwrapped. The mummy is currently on loan to the Archaeological Collection at the Johns Hopkins University. The goal of the conservation treatment was to return the splayed mummy wrappings to their original locations as possible, and to stabilize the linen wrappings, black bitumen coating and the painted cartonnage.
Images courtesy of Goucher College and Will Kirk. Treatment images by S. Balachandran
The mummy, before treatment.
Left image: Detail of the unwrapped sections of linen on the torso
Right image: After the wrappings were stabilized using an overlay of a thin and see-through polyester conservation fabric called Stabiltex.
Left image: Detail of the damage to the linen and bitumen coating on the torso and pelvis
Right image: The damaged linen was stabilized with overlays of the conservation fabric Stabiltex. The loose bitumen coating was held in place using patches of Japanese tissue paper adhered over cracks using an acrylic conservation adhesive.
Left image: Unfolding the linen section that originally covered the entire front of the mummy.
Center image: Humidifying some of the deep folds in the large linen section before it could be refolded in a more stable manner.
Right image: The torso and pelvis after stabilization and encapsulation in Stabiltex.
Left image: Detail of the unwrapped sections of linen on the feet
Center image: Pinning the Stabiltex over the wrappings before sewing it in place.
Right image: After encapsulating the loose wrappings on the foot with Stabiltex.
Left image: Stabilizing the back of the painted cartonnage by adhering the layers of linen together with wheatstarch paste and Japanese tissue paper.
Right image: The cartonnage after treatment.
The mummy after treatment.
The mummy packed inside its padded and secure storage crate. The packing was designed by Bonsai Fine Arts, Inc.