Projects

Conservation of an Egyptian Mummy and Coffin at Perth Museum and Art gallery

Perth Museum has cared for the mummy and painted coffin of the priestess Lady Tak-hr-heb since the 1930s. In recent decades the mummy has not been displayed due to concerns about its condition. Research was undertaken with Manchester University Museum to CT-scan and research the mummy and coffin. The research led on to the conservation of the mummy and coffin which was undertaken in a specially adapted gallery in the museum so that the public could observe the progress of the work. The mummy could not be removed from the coffin as it was very fragile and damaged at the back. After initial cleaning, a team placed special medical cushions over the mummy and coffin, deflated the cushions to stiffen them, and inverted the coffin so that the mummy lay face down on the cushions for treatment for the next few weeks. The mummy was extensively cleaned and consolidated and, after turning back over, it was placed on a padded mountboard for display. The coffin lid was cleaned of layers of mud to reveal the painted surface and the written inscriptions to a greater extent, and repairs were made to the wood and the plaster of the coffin base. At the end of the treatment, both mummy and coffin were cleaner, physically stable and ready for display.