TAA i.3.23.15.recto
Page 3 of first draft on shrines, handwritten. Alexander Scott is also mentioned on this page.
The whole text or part of the text is fully struck through on this page but is not indicated in the transcription. On this page, strikethrough formatting is reserved for the author’s edits and deletions within the main body of the text, which would otherwise be difficult to distinguish.
© Griffith Institute,
University of Oxford
a coating of white plaster termed “gesso”, which consists of
whiting to which a little glue has been added to make it cohere.
This is identical with the material used by modern picture-
frame makers for plain gilt-mouldings, gesso being employed
instead of plaster of Paris because this latter is not sufficiently
hard to permit of the burnishing of gold.” (1) Dr Alexander Scott,
in a letter <to me>, dated, Feb. 1931, wrote: “I believe I have made
quite an interesting discovery concerning the overlying gold
leaf and gesso work [upon the sepulchral shrines]. I had
some small pieces which I brought away in 1924, and I
did observe then when detaching the gold leaf by means of
dilute acid in order to measure its thickness that there was
a semi-transparent residue which was practically of the
same shape and size as the piece of gesso. / At this time
I thought it was only gelatine or albumen which had been
rendered insoluble by time, etc., and put it down the sink.
Repeating the work about three weeks ago, I made some
further experiments with another fragment and found
this semi-transparent residue to the leather, or at least the
skin of an animal. This skin had been embedded in
the white powder which seems to be nothing but pure calcium
carbonate free from any calcium sulphate and mixed with
glue or gelatine, not albumen … / When one thinks of it, it is
easy to see why the damp skin was so used, especially if the
gesso was to be thick and receive deep markings.”