Hi everyone! My name is Alexis North, and I am working at the Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University this summer preparing a group of objects from their collection to come to Houston to be installed in the new Hall of Ancient Egypt. I am currently a third-year graduate student at the UCLA/Getty Program in the Conservation of Archaeological and Ethnographic Materials, specializing in the conservation of archaeological objects. I have worked on archaeological sites in Kenya, Greece, and Turkey, and have experience conserving a variety of objects, from antiquity through the 20^th century.

I arrived in Atlanta a few weeks ago, and have been getting situated in my new surroundings, learning all about the Carlos Museum and its amazing collection of archaeological and ethnographic objects.The objects from the Carlos Museum that will be traveling to Houston include some fantastic examples from all areas of Egyptian life, including tools, clothing, and ritual and funerary objects. A few of my favorite objects are: a colorfully painted coffin in the form of a falcon, with red, yellow, blue, white, and black pigments; a child’s pair of leather sandals with detailed stamped decoration; and a wonderful copper alloy cat figurine.

Before treatment photos of the falcon coffin (left), leather sandals (center) and cat figurine (right).

I have been spending the last couple of weeks pulling the objects from storage, examining them and documenting their condition. Some of them had just been taken off display here at the Carlos, and some have long been kept in storage. All of them are due for a thorough check-up, and I am so excited to have the opportunity to work so closely with such a great collection of Egyptian objects.

Archaeological objects have many different condition issues, which can affect their appearance and stability. The painted coffin, for example, has many areas of paint loss on its surface. This is usually caused by the wood structure underneath, which swells and contracts with changes in humidity, making cracks in the paint layer that can cause lifting and flaking. The areas of loss on the falcon coffin will have to be carefully stabilized before the coffin can be packed for travel to Houston.

I’ll share more of my work as I start to dive into the treatment process. I look forward to working on these amazing objects, and sharing all my findings with you!