Conservation around the Millennium (Hungarian National Museum, 2001)
Pages - 13
We took luminescent photos of the selected details in ultraviolet light, for which we only needed to stop the light infiltrating through the entrance. Materials that seem to be the same colour for the naked eye, could be differentiated on the basis of their different luminescence. In the visible spectrum, we took photos in normal and projected light. In normal light we documented in detail the condition of the painted layer, characteristic deficiencies, gaps, smears, the traces of Coptic interference, dirt and wear, and places from where samples were taken. The photos made in projected light revealed the deficiencies caused by the peeling of the painted layer and of the fallen out pieces of rock of the uneven surface of the smoothing layer serving as a base for the wall paintings and the traces of the tools used in carving out the rock.(fig. 5). The camera we used for infra-red photography was sensitive to 1050 nm and the images were recorded on videotape. The evaluation of the shots is in progress. Following the non-destructive photo- technical examinations we took samples from the rock, the mortars, the plasters, the grounding, the pigments and soiling, which were necessary for the physical, chemical and microscopic analyses indispensable for the planning of the restoration. 5. The lower field on the northern rear wall is decorated with the long list of Imiseba’s relatives. The faded inscriptions in the yellow columns list the names of the persons that squat under them in ornamental dresses with balm cones on their heads. 6. Detail from the north-western corner of the ceiling of the transverse-hall. Donkey excrements and their imprints and traces of the handwork can be seen in the mortar. THE PREPARATION OF THE GROUNDING AND THE RESULTING PROBLEMS The spacious interior of the rock tombs were carved with hard and systematic work around the columns. The rock was suitable for carving in the lower layers of the hill, while the quality became poorer towards the top. It frequently changes in tomb no. 65 and in its environment, sometimes U
