His pyramidion sparkles again in the sun. The Obelisk of Luxorswaddled last winter for a makeover, is gradually discovering Place de la Concorde in Paris. The scaffolding has begun to be dismantled, revealing the “cleaned” top of the oldest monument in the capital.
The 23 meter high pink granite monolith cut in Aswan (Egypt) under the reign of Ramses II, in the 13the century BC, benefits from a restoration until June in this year of the bicentenary of the decipherment of hieroglyphics by Jean-François Champollion.
Surface weathered by pollution and weather
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The top of the obelisk with its golden pyramidion. © Philippe Mirkovic / Ouest-France
Thanks to skills sponsorship with the company Kärcher, the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs of Ile-de-France launched this great cleaning of the obelisk “in good general condition” more “altered on the surface by pollution and weather”.
Following a strict protocol validated by the research laboratory of historical monuments of the Ministry of Culture, the fragile parts of the obelisk were consolidated before micro-sandblasting which consists of “the sending of sand particles at low pressure to remove dirt without damaging the stone”.
While the pyramidion in sheet bronze laminated and gilded with gold leaf, which crowns the monument since 1998, has only been “sponge clean”. Water vapor will be used for the granite pedestal from the Aber-Ildut quarries (Finistère). The presentation of the podium will also be improved; the grid and gates will be revised.
Ramses II making an offering to Amun-Re
We can again see at the top of the monolith, covered with hieroglyphics finely carved on its four sides, representations of Ramses II “making an offering to Amon-Ré, the king of the gods, wearing a crown surmounted by two tall vertical feathers”. Below, incantatory messages to the glorification of the sovereign, say for example: “The justice of Ré (the sun) is powerful”. And again “I give you perfect happiness”. Or “I give you perfect health”.
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