Redescubriendo los ataúdes egipcios de Bab el-Gasus del Museo Arqueológico Nacional

Conferencia de María Cruz Medina Sánchez (Universidad Autónoma de Madrid)

These emblematic pieces from the Egyptian collection of the Archaeological Museum arrived from the Second Cache of Deir el Bahari in 1895. Since then, the coffins have been visited and enjoyed by the public for several generations. But, despite the time they have been in the Museum, a part of their history remained hidden.

This research offers a different look, that of conservation, which seeks to understand these coffins from a material perspective, their production, the pictorial techniques or the pigments used. This way, it has been possible to understand the different hieroglyphs, the discordant pigments due to their color and texture, and the surfaces that clashed in style. The coffins from Bab el-Gasus are not as homogeneous as they appear at first glance, since their history is complex, and the restorations that have allowed them to reach our days have also left their mark.