Tomb of Nefertari project records, 1984-1996, 2005, undated

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Summary

Creators:
Getty Conservation Institute
Abstract:
The Tomb of Nefertari project records date from 1984 to 1996, 2005, and undated and consist of files from the Getty Conservation Institute's (GCI) collaboration with the Egyptian Antiquities Organization (EAO), renamed the Supreme Council of Antiquities in 1994, to conserve the wall paintings in the tomb of Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens, in Luxor, Egypt. Records document project planning, condition assessments, scientific analyses, conservation treatment, environmental monitoring, graphic documentation, site protection planning, and conservation training. The collection also contains press clippings and files relating to the GCI's efforts to disseminate information about the project through publications, videos, exhibitions, public presentations, press conferences, and press releases. There is also an internal GCI report evaluating the project in 2005.
Extent:
29.6 Linear Feet (24 boxes, including 19 videocassettes, plus 36 flat files) and 0.0045 Gigabytes
Language:
Collection material is in Records are primarily in English with some materials in Arabic, Italian, French, and Spanish.

Background

Scope and content:

The Tomb of Nefertari project records date from 1984 to 1996, 2005, and undated and consist of the Getty Conservation Institute's (GCI) files from its collaboration with the Egyptian Antiquities Organization (EAO) to conserve the wall paintings in the tomb of Nefertari in the Valley of the Queens, in Luxor, Egypt. Records in the collection were primarily maintained by the following GCI staff (the positions they held at the time are listed): Luis Monreal, first director of the GCI; Miguel Angel Corzo, initially a consultant, then director of Special Projects, and later second director of the GCI; Frank Preusser, initially director of Scientific Research and later associate director for Programs and acting co-director of the GCI; Mahasti Afshar, Program Research Coordinator; and Neville Agnew, Special Projects Director. The records cover all four phases of the project and document project planning, condition assessment surveys, scientific analyses, conservation treatment, environmental monitoring, graphic documentation, site protection planning, and conservation training. Files include signed copies of project agreements for each phase, budgets, meeting notes and agenda, correspondence and memos, technical data, reports, logbooks, photographs, condition surveys, and maps. A significant portion of the collection also documents national and international press coverage of the Nefertari project and the GCI's efforts to disseminate information through publications, videos, exhibitions, public presentations, press conferences, and press releases. These materials include correspondence and memos, drafts, exhibition visitor surveys and statistics, exhibition texts and mockups, an exhibition catalog, press releases, press clippings, and ephemera. The collection also contains an internal GCI report evaluating the Tomb of Nefertari project in 2005. In addition, there are a few folders that pertain to two other GCI and EAO collaborations: developing oxygen-free display and storage cases for the Royal Mummy Collection at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and an environmental monitoring study of the Great Sphinx at the Giza Plateau.

Arrangement

Records are arranged into three series:

;Series I. Field campaigns, 1985-1996

;Series II. Project dissemination, 1984-1996

and

Series III. Project evaluation, 2005.

Biographical / historical:

The Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) is an operating program of the J. Paul Getty Trust, a not-for-profit cultural and philanthropic organization dedicated to the visual arts. Established in 1985, the GCI's mission is to advance conservation practice in the visual arts, broadly interpreted to include objects, collections, architecture, and cultural heritage sites. Working internationally, it serves the conservation community through scientific research, education and training, model field projects, and the broad dissemination of the results of both its own work and the work of others in the field. In all its endeavors, the GCI focuses on the creation and dissemination of knowledge that will benefit the professionals and organizations responsible for the conservation of the world's cultural heritage.

Through field projects, the GCI works to advance conservation practice worldwide on a range of heritage places including buildings, archaeological sites, and urban environments, and to address problems of regional or international relevance. The field projects that the GCI develops and implements incorporate strong research, planning, and educational objectives. While field projects vary in emphasis, complexity, and scope, all are multidisciplinary and involve working with local partners to build knowledge, skills, and experience and to ensure sustainability. Projects also adhere to a consistent methodology which includes documentation and recording, diagnostic research and assessment, the development and testing of conservation treatments and strategies, implementation, and, finally, dissemination and training. Field project teams consist of the GCI (and sometimes other Getty) staff, representatives of partner organizations, and external consultants. Team members come from a variety of disciplines and include archaeologists, conservators, curators, engineers, architects, art historians, biologists, geologists, chemists, city planners, surveyors, museum administrators, and site managers.

The GCI embarked on its first field project in 1986, collaborating with the Egyptian Antiquities Organization (EAO), renamed in 1994 the Supreme Council of Antiquities, to conserve the wall paintings in the 3,200 year-old tomb of Queen Nefertari, located in the Valley of the Queens near Luxor, Egypt. Among the most important examples of pharaonic art, the wall paintings had suffered considerable paint loss over the years and were in a fragile state. Ancient artisans had applied layers of plaster to the fractured limestone walls of the tomb to create a suitable surface for painting. Centuries of humidity fluctuations within the tomb had caused salt from the limestone and plaster to crystalize, which in turn caused entire sheets of plaster to detach from the wall and paint to erode from plaster surfaces. By 1986, approximately 25% of the paintings had been lost.

To prevent further deterioration and treat existing damage, the GCI and EAO formed a multidisciplinary, international group of experts to work on an intensive six-year campaign that was conducted over three phases. The conservation team was led by Italian conservators Paolo and Laura Mora, while Spanish conservator Eduardo Porta served as field coordinator for the project. Work included condition assessments, scientific analyses, emergency treatment, conservation of the wall paintings, and training of conservators from Egypt and other countries. The first phase (June 1986-November 1987) of the campaign focused on condition assessments and researching treatment strategies. Emergency treatment was also applied to areas of wall paintings in danger of imminent collapse. The second phase (November 1987-December 1988) focused on full-scale conservation treatments to the wall paintings, which was limited to consolidation and cleaning to maintain the site's historical integrity. Conservation treatment of the wall paintings was completed and documented during Phase III (November 1989–April 1992). Due to EAO's interest in opening the tomb to the public, Phase IV (April 1992-Spring 1997) was added to the project, extending the campaign to 11 years, to monitor and analyze the tomb's microenvironment and periodically inspect the condition of the wall paintings.

The GCI published results of the project in two monographs: Wall Paintings of the Tomb of Nefertari: First Progress Report (1987) and Art and Eternity: The Nefertari Wall Painting Conservation Project 1986-1992 (1993).

Acquisition information:
The records described in this finding aid were transferred by the Getty Conservation Institute and form part of accessions 1994.IA.01, 2015.IA.09, 2015.IA.10, and 2017.IA.09.
Physical location:
Request access to the physical material described in this inventory through its corresponding library catalog record and click "Request." Click here for general library access policy. See the Administrative Information section of this finding aid for access restrictions specific to the records described below. Please note, some of the records may be stored off site; advanced notice is required for access to these materials.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Location of this collection:
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles, CA 90049-1688, US
Contact:
(310) 440-7390
Website