Corridor with the copy of the “Prince of the Lilies Fresco”
The south part and south façade of the Palace are badly eroded. All that is visible today is foundations on stepped levels. Low down, a tower-like projection is all that remains of the south entrance to the Palace. From there, an ascending corridor led to the Central Court.
In the reconstructed section of the corridor, closest to the Central Court, Evans placed a copy of the relief “Prince of the Lilies Fresco”. The original, dated to the Neopalatial period, is on display in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. The copy was made by E. Gilliéron fils in 1926 and placed on the east wall of the reconstructed section.
Relief frescoes are the only life-size works of Minoan monumental sculpture. The figures were made of a lime-and-sand plaster mix. They were then attached to the wall and painted.
In the context of the 3rd CSF work, the masonry of the reconstructed section of the corridor was restored along with the copy of the fresco. The old wooden frame of the fresco was also replaced with a new, openable metal frame, faced with wood and supporting protective glass panels with UV and IR radiation filters.
The restoration of the fresco copy began with surface cleaning. Where there was good attachment to the substrate, the results were satisfactory. Where there was flaking, however, cleaning was difficult due to the lack of cohesion, so the surface was first consolidated.
There was also some repair in areas of extensive loss of the painting surface. The repair helped increase the cohesion and retention of the layers of the copy.
The materials used for the repair were gypsum, a material related to the construction technology of the fresco substrate, and acrylic filler, suitable for filling cracks due to its elasticity. Finally, where the painting surface was lost, powder pigments were used with acrylic mortar, in the same colour as the existing paint.
