The present study aims at examining a unique easel painting by the well-known
Egyptian painter, Mahmoud Sa'id. It was painted over four years and displayed at
the Agricultural Museum in Egypt. It experienced many deterioration phenomena.
The study utilized some non-destructive and non-invasive analytical techniques,
i.e. MA-XRF, SEM-EDX, ATR-FTIR, and GC-FID in addition to XRD and SM.
Due to the case-study painting multilayers technique, the results of MA-XRF and
EDX mapping and XRD patterns revealed using Ultramarine (Na,Ca)8 (AlSiO4)6
(SO4,S,Cl)2, yellow ochre (Fe2O3.H2O), red ochre (Fe2O3), and a mixture of
graphite (C) and bone black (C,Ca5(OH)(PO4)3) as a coloring pigments in the
blue, yellow, reddish brown and black samples, respectively. Moreover, Barite
(BaSO4) and Zincite (ZnO) were used in the ground layer with Hydrocerussite
(Pb3(CO3)2(OH)2) and Sphalerite (ZnS) in lightening colors. Linseed oil was
asserted as the pigment binding media, while the binding media of the ground
layer was not confirmed. Furthermore, fragility, brittleness, cleavages, peeling,
cracks, macro cracks, stains, and ancient fault restoration were detected in the
case-study painting. Accordingly, it urgently requires treatment.