Bon à tirer: l’auteur est prié de signer chaque page Encaustic painting in Egypt 1 Karel INNEMÉE Encaustic Painting in Egypt PAINTINGS IN DEIR AL-SURIAN In 1991 a mission of the Ifao 1 uncovered a hitherto unknown painting of the Annun- ciation in the western semi-dome of the church of the Holy Virgin in Deir al-Surian. This discovery aroused a discussion that not died down yet. At a symposium in 1994, held at the Sorbonne (École pratique des hautes études) in Paris, a number of questions surround- ing the newly discovered painting were discussed among a group of scholars. 2 Main topics in the discussions were: the dating, authorship and iconographical interpretation of the painting. Although Michel Wuttmann mentioned in his paper that the use of wax had been established, 3 the painting technique and the question whether the wax had been used as a protective layer or as a medium for the pigments, in other words, whether the painting had been done in the encaustic technique, did not receive major attention in the discussions to follow. And since no further laboratory-analysis of samples of the painting were carried out, the technical aspects of this painting have not been further discussed or studied in the past ten years. In 1995 investigations in the church of the Holy Virgin continued 4 and in the fol- lowing years a stratification of paintings came to light, in which 4 different stages can be distinguished: 1. A first stage in which the interior, soon after the building was completed, was painted with simple, mainly decorative patterns and crosses, done in red and yellow ochre in tempera technique. It seems that this layer was done in the second half of the 7th century. 1 The mission was headed by Paul van Moorsel; Michel Wuttmann was the chief restorer of the project. 2 The proceedings of this meeting were published in Cahiers archéologiques 43, 1995. 3 M. WUTTMANN, “Circonstances de la découverte de la peinture de l’Annonciation dans la conque ouest de l’église de la Vierge au Deir Al-Souriani et observations techniques”, in Cahiers archéologiques 43, 1995, p. 128. 4 This project is carried out by an internationally composed team under responsibility of Leiden University and the Netherlands- Flemish Institute in Cairo. 0430_lnn_bat.indd 1 8/06/05 8:56:49