Cartonnage of the Woman in Gold

In 1999, the Egyptian Museum of Barcelona acquired a piece with the most unique characteristics: a cover of a mummy (those commonly referred to as cartonnages) designed to contain the whole corpse of its deceased owner. It is considered to date from the Roman period (early 1st century A.D.) and may have been used by a young woman. In this case, the surface of the cartonnage, which is made up of various layers of bandages that have been made relatively rigid using consolidators, shows signs of a noticeable treatment given via the application of gold leaves. Its vast surface contains depictions of scenes that represent an extraordinary wealth of documentation.
When it arrived at the Museum, the cartonnage was in very poor condition: its was misshapen, divided in two and extremely fragile. Therefore, it was necessary to put forward and execute a conservation-restoration plan that would bring a unique piece “back to life”. The firm Gamarra & García was responsible for these tasks for one year.