The aim of this paper is to study deterioration phenomena of foot case cartonnage from
Saqqara area, Egypt. There are many damage problems such as: accumulation of dust,
stains, cracks of ground layer and detachment of paint and gilded layers. An analyses and
investigations of different samples were performed using a number of different analytical
techniques. Light microscopy (LM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray detector (EDS) and Fourier transform infrared
spectroscopy coupled with attenuated total reflection (ATR-FTIR) were used. Analytical studies
indicated that, cartonnage was composed of two layers; the coarse ground layer consisted of
calcite and quartz as while the finer ground layer contained calcite only. Two layers of preparing
double of linen textile were used as a separate layer between the previous ground layers. The
pigments used for the decoration of cartonnage were identified as hematite, cinnabar and
cuprorivaite. Gilded layer was identified as gold and silver. Microbiological investigation indicated
the presence a fungal and bacterial infestation. The results obtained gave important knowledge
about the deterioration processes of the foot case cartonnage.