Conservation of Kaipure Tomb Chapel and Palace of Merenptah
This project was to undergo conservation of two masterpieces of pharaonic architecture at the Penn Museum, the throne room from the palace of Merenptah at Memphis and the limestone offering chamber of Kaipure, in preparation for their reinstallation in the Museum’s new Egyptian Galleries opening in 2021. Project Director: Lynn Grant
The Penn Museum completed a major conservation project on two masterpieces of pharaonic architecture in our collection: the throne room from the palace of Merenptah at Memphis and the limestone offering chamber of Kaipure. Funding underwrote three paid pre-program interns, providing valuable experience to developing conservators. The interns fully documented and treated all 62 blocks from the limestone offering chamber of Kaipure, revealing details not previously visible or appreciated and enhancing their use for research and display. Funding also supported 3D scanning of the palace of Merenptah, providing integral documentation as the team deinstalled the architectural elements in preparation to move them to renovated gallery spaces. The Museum did not have information about the original 1926 installation of the objects. Laser scanning and photogrammetry supported volumetric analysis to calculate the objects’ accurate weights, provided information on original decoration and historic restoration, and is enabling the team to digitally manipulate fragments to find joins. |
Project Details
Location: United States, Northern America, Americas
Organiser(s):
University of Pennsylvania
Project partner(s): Penn Museum - University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
Funder(s):
American Research Center in Egypt-Antiquities Endowment Fund
Funding received: $100,000
Commencement Date: 03/2018
Project Status: Completed
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