Graphic condition survey of Alphios and Arethusa mosaic
- Description:
- Graphic condition survey of Alphios and Arethusa mosaic
- Author:
- ARCE Project Staff
- Date Created:
- July 16, 2003
- Collection:
- Greco-Roman Museum Mosaic Conservation
- Series:
- Alphios and Arethusa Mosaic
- Time Period:
- Hellenistic Period and Ptolemaic Period
- Topic:
- Alpheus, Arethusa, Greek mythology, Greek gods, and Art, Greco-Roman
- Cultural Object:
- Mosaics, Mosaics, Mosaics, and Mosaics
- Fieldwork activities:
- documentation (activity), documentation (activity), documentation (activity), and documentation (activity)
- Genre:
- tracings (drawings), documentation (activity), and color photographs
- Creative Commons License:
- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
- Rights Statement:
- Users must agree to abide by the terms and conditions of the CC BY NC SA license before using ARCE materials and must provide the following credit line: "Reproduction courtesy of the American Research Center in Egypt, Inc. (ARCE). This project was funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)."
- Project History:
- Within the walls of the Greco-Roman Museum, Alexandria, Egypt are three intricate mosaics of very fine quality between the second and third century, BCE. Under the auspices of the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE), Father Michele Piccirillo of the Studium Biblicum Franciscum directed the conservation of the mosaics. Notably, it resulted in the public viewing of the stag hunt mosaic for the first time since its discovery. Conservation work was made possible with the support of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (formerly the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities).
- Funding Agency:
- Greco-Roman Museum Mosaic Conservation project was made possible with funding by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Grant No. 263-G-00-93-00089-00 and administered by the Egyptian Antiquities Project (EAP) of the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE).
- Abstract:
- The first step of the conservation process was carefully washing the mosaic with pure water, after which a graphic relief in 1:1 scale was made using nylon sheets. Two layers of cloth were applied using warm animal glue and the mosaic was turned over in order to remove the cement on the back. The mosaic was laid on new aerolam bedding using a cement mixture, followed by the removal of the cloths and the removal of the residual glue which was done in two parts over the span of two days. By that point, old conservation efforts had become clearer in the form of painted stucco tesserae to replace missing tesserae. The stucco was removed and replaced with new tesserae, followed by the creation of a second graphic relief. Finally, lacunae were filled with mortar compatible in grain and color.