Deterioration Aspects of the Egyptian Faience Ushabti Statuette of the King Aspelta kept in Atfih Magazine, Egypt

Ibrahim, Mohamed; Hassib, Ayat A.; Omar, Sherif

doi:10.21608/arcs.2022.128604.1021

Deterioration Aspects of the Egyptian Faience Ushabti Statuette of the King Aspelta kept in Atfih Magazine, Egypt

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Conservation Department, Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.

² Grand Egyptian Museum, Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Egypt

³ Conservation Department, Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt

10.21608/arcs.2022.128604.1021

Abstract

The Aspelta faience Ushabti statuette is one of a group of statuettes kept in Atfih magazine, located 80 kilometers south of Cairo, Egypt. This store contains different types of artifacts excavated from different periods and sites in Egypt. This study aims at characterizing the materials and manufacturing techniques used to produce this statuette and its deterioration aspects. The analytical techniques used were AutoCAD, USB light digital microscope, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Scanning electron microscope coupled with energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX). The results revealed that the efflorescence method was used in the manufacturing of the glaze layer colored with Egyptian blue. Many degradation aspects such as discoloration, increase of porosity, cracks, surficial flaking, and salt crystallization have been observed. Moreover, the X-ray diffraction analysis proved the presence of the basic copper chloride compounds "Atacamite and Paratacamite", which led to the color change of the glaze layer, which may be due to the poor storage and improper preservation. It can be added that these results will help the conservators to produce some solutions for the conservation of these artifacts in the near future.

Highlights

The Ushabti statuette of King Aspelta from Atfih, Egypt has great archaeological value due to its material and unusual size.
The identification of the components of the statuette revealed information on raw materials, glazing method, and color materials.
The study is mainly concerned with the characterization of the deterioration aspects of the faience statuette.
The deterioration aspects found are color change, weakness, breaking, glazing detachment and accumulation of dirt and dust.

Keywords