Medieval Nubian Wall Paintings

MEDIEVAL NUBIAN WALL PAINTINGS
Figure 8.46 Truss with a triangular lattice built of fibreboard
according to Jędrzejewska’s method. (Photo: Hanna
Jędrzejewska and Edward Jędrzejewski, courtesy of the
National Museum in Warsaw.)
Figure 8.48 Attaching a support structure to a transferred
painting according to Jędrzejewska’s method. (Photo: Hanna
Jędrzejewska and Edward Jędrzejewski, courtesy of the
National Museum in Warsaw.)
Figure 8.47 Faras Cathedral: support structure for the niche
with the representation of the Virgin and Child. (Photo:
Hanna Jędrzejewska and Edward Jędrzejewski, courtesy of
the National Museum in Warsaw.)
formed directly on the backs of the paintings (reinforced
with aluminium mesh). The structures were
not only poorly attached to the original, but they
were also unstable and very heavy. In the end, this
method was abandoned and most paintings treated
under Hanna Jędrzejewska’s direction received a
rigid support structure resistant to deformation.
Supports developed in the National Museum in
Warsaw by Hanna Jędrzejewska
Hanna Jędrzejewska devised new supports for the
Faras wall paintings in the National Museum in
Warsaw. These were developed according to the state
of knowledge and materials available at the time.
Some of the early solutions were later replaced using
more sophisticated, lighter materials. The artificial
support, intended to be removable, also had to allow
for the setting of original fragments slightly above
the background level (Jędrzejewska 1965a: 230–31).
Its design benefited from consultations with specialists
and numerous tests (Jędrzejewska 1966a: 85–9;
1966b: 205–6; 1992: 204–5).
The gypsum supports were removed, a layer of
fibreglass-reinforced mortar was applied to the back
of each painting, and a new support was constructed
consisting of two fibreboards joined with brass
bolts. The inner board was attached to the back of
the original, while the outer layer constituted a lattice
structure that could be removed at any time
(Jędrzejewska 1965b: 243–4). After completing the
first two paintings, the method was modified and
most of the paintings were completed using this new
method.
Jędrzejewska used earlier prepared structures
consisting of only two perforated fibreboards fixed to
an internal truss with a triangular (Fig. 8.46) or rectangular
lattice built of fibreboard – or, in the case of
larger paintings, of wooden slats attached using PVA
or polyester resin as adhesive. The support achieved
was a honeycomb structure, 3–5 cm thick, loadbearing,
rigid but at the same time fairly lightweight,
attached to the back of the painting using a thick
mixture of polyvinyl acetate dispersion, chalk and
sand, and left to dry under pressure. The adhesive
penetrated the perforations, additionally reinforcing
the join. Openings in the boards also functioned as
ventilation holes (Fig. 8.47).
The structures were larger than the original paintings,
leaving a margin to be filled with background
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