An international research team has analyzed the proteins preserved in paints from 14 Egyptian artifacts, finding that artists most often used cattle collagen as a binding medium but also worked with materials from several other animals and plants.
The study examined 28 samples from coffins, tomb wall paintings, painted limestone, and plasterwork associated with mummies. The artifacts date from 1425 B.C. to A.D. 400 and are now held by three European museums, according to Archaeology Magazine, which reported on the research.
The protein evidence points to the use of hides, connective tissues, and bones from sheep or goats, donkeys, and horses in some of the paint mixtures. The researchers also identified proteins that may have come from wild antelopes, although that possibility is presented tentatively.
Plant proteins were found as well. The research team believes these may have entered the mixtures as seed cake—the residue left after seeds are pressed to extract their oil. Their presence suggests that the materials used to bind Egyptian paints were not limited to animal-derived substances.
The work included Clara Granzotto of the University of Copenhagen and Rebecca J. Stacey of the British Museum. Rather than identifying a single standardized recipe, the results reveal variation in the ingredients used across the sampled objects and their long period of production.
The findings provide evidence about the materials incorporated into Egyptian painted objects, while the possible sources of some proteins remain interpretations rather than confirmed identifications.
