Specialized in Object and Library & Archive Conservation
Archaeological Shell Pendant
Report Summary
Accession #: JHAM 2291D, ACP 1767B
Object: Shell pendant with inscribed cartouche
Object Date: ca. 1971-1926 BCE
Place of Origin: Deir-el Bahri, Theban Necropolis on the West Bank of the Nile, Thebes, Egypt
Materials: Shell (nacre)
Dimensions: It is estimated the whole shell pendant would have been over 10 cm long and about 11.5 cm wide.
Owner: The Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum
Consulted: Lara Kaplan: Objects Conservator and Affiliated Assistant Professor, Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library and the University of Delaware
Sanchita Balachandran: Associate Director and Conservator, The Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum
Report Date: 01/05/2021
All Images of the shell pendant are by Nylah Byrd, Courtesy of the Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum
Treatment Images
Historical Context
The cartouche of the shell reads “Kheper-ka-Re” the prenomen (throne name) of Senworsret I. He is also referred to as Senusert I, and Sesostris I. He was ruler of Egypt during the Middle Kingdom, between 1971 and 1926 BCE. The pendant was probably worn as a necklace strung with other beads, as other shell beads were found with a similar shell object at the World Museum. Herbert Winlock wrote an article about twenty-seven shell pendants with either “Senworsret I” or “Kheper-ka-re” inscribed in cartouches. The shell pendant was crafted by first grinding off the outer layers of the shell until only nacre remained. Then the shell was rounded to give it the circular shape. The two holes in the shell were likely pierced using a pump drill. The carving was potentially inlaid with blue pigments, as other shell objects of similar nature have shown evidence of this. For the blue pigments, the possibilities are azurite, cobalt, and Egyptian blue.
The pendant was likely excavated by James Teackle Dennis while he was a volunteer excavation assistant to Henri Eduoard Naville at Deir el-Bahri. Henri Eduard Naville was a Swiss archaeologist excavating in Egypt (The Griffith Institute 2015). Deir-el-Bahri is an archaeological site that is part of the Theban Necropolis on the West Bank of the Nile river. Dennis was Naville’s excavation assistant from 1903-04 and 1905-06, so the shell was found in one of these two time ranges.
See full report for citations and sources.
The object is currently in the Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum collection and was loaned to Winterthur for the purposes of examination and treatment.
Condition and Description
This object is a shell pendant with carved cartouche in the center. The cartouche hieroglyphs read “Kheper-ka-Re” which means “the ka of Re is created.” This is the prenomen (throne name) of Se’n-Wosret I (aka Senusert I, aka Sesostris I). The object is broken into two large pieces, two smaller pieces, and many very small pieces. The fragments do not make up the entirety of the shell, thus somewhere between 25-35% of the shell is lost. The fragments were repaired in the past with an unknown adhesive. On the bottom of the front of fragment “2291a” there appears to be a white substance forming (see fig.8). This could be the beginnings of Byne’s efflorescence and should be further analyzed. On the back of fragment “2291b” there is a piece of shell adhered to its incorrect location (see fig. 9). This was potentially done to prevent disassociation of the shell fragment. There is a green accretion on the back of fragment “2291a”.
The shell is composed of mother of pearl which accounts for its sheen and iridescence. Mother of pearl is also known as nacre; a biomineral composed of thin layers of crystalline aragonite. Aragonite is composed of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). The aragonite in the shell is in the form of tablet crystals that are misoriented with respect to each other. This misorientation causes light to scatter on the surface and produces the iridescent quality of the material.
Treatment Summary
1. Surface Cleaning
I dry surface cleaned the shell with a cosmetic sponge. Wet surface cleaning was not deemed necessary.
2. Disassembly
I used warm pH 8.5 adjusted water to loosen the hide glue adhesive holding the fragments together.
3. Reassembly
I used 50% Paraloid B-72 in acetone to adhere the fragments. The shell was supported by glass beads and a barrier as the adhesive set.
Rehousing
The shell object is to be used for both educational purposes and display. I created a drop back blue board tray for the shell pendant and padded the tray it with Volara. I stacked the Volara high enough to accommodate a drawer that holds the remaining shell fragments and the adhesive sample taken for FTIR analysis. The smaller fragments are inside a glass vial while the larger of the remaining fragments are in a silicone release Mylar envelope. I used silicone release Mylar to reduce the static interactions between the envelope and the shell. I created a sink mat for the shell to rest in, cut in a distinct shape so the correct orientation placement of the shell is clear. There is a finger space for easy lifting of the shell out of the housing. The shell rests on a Tyvek barrier to reduce friction. There is a curved support of Volara wrapped in Tyvek underneath the curvature of the shell, so the object is not only resting on two points on either side. The lid contains a Mylar window which serves to hold the drop back in place and allows the shell to be visible in storage or on display. In the object housing diagram below, the adhesive sample fits in the drawer and was placed outside of the drawer so all drawer contents were visible for the diagram.
