Dr. Gibson’s
• Conservation – practice of stabilizing and
strengthening objects. Usually done by
people with chemistry training.
Conservators are employed by museums.
• Restoration – practice of restoring objects
to some semblance of their original
condition. Usually done by people with art
training. Restorers are usually hired by
galleries/private parties.
Ephemeral Art
Permanency or longevity is not on most folk-artist’s
minds.
Mexican Paper-maché Devil
Han Dynasty Urn Cover
• Qing Dynasty cosmetic box
with shell inlay
Object’s Susceptibility to Damage
Paper-maché
Linares Sculpture
Damage during transport due to
poor loading
Damage due to an artifact being left unattended in
a vulnerable place
Ceramics
Most hand-made ceramics are low-fired and
therefore soft, e.g. terra cotta.
All ceramics are brittle.
Mexican terra cotta
ceramic sculpture.
Broken by the
instructor due to rough
handling.
Classical
Period Mayan
Cylindrical
Vase
Many ancient ceramic vessels
owned by museums have
been reconstructed and
restored, and so can’t be
treated as if they were solid
modern pots.
• Ancient Vietnamese terra cotta tile damaged
due to poor storage conditions at the
collector’s house.
Should one use an adhesive, like museum
wax, to prevent earthquake damage?
Glazed and partially glazed
Chinese ceramic vessels
Ancient Metals
2000 year old Vietnamese bronze drum
Damaged Vietnamese Dong Son bronzes restored
by John Hirks.
Bronze dagger damaged by mishandling by a
student.
Dong son bronze wristlet damaged due to delicacy and subpar packing.
Wooden Buddha with copper alloy coatingflaking off.
Paper
19th century family bibles
Qing Dynasty scroll damaged after being left
out on a cart in a high-traffic area.
Textiles/Basketry
• These are considered to be the most
environmentally sensitive classes of
objects.
• The chief source of damage to textiles is
light, but they are also prone to damage
from handling, bugs, and pollution.
• Most museums are reluctant to loan
textiles, and if they do, it is usually for a
short term: 5-6 months. They will also
stipulate acceptable light levels.
Wooden Objects
Statute from
Mali with
powder
post
beetle
infestation
Wooden image of
San Simon with
termite infestation
Dealing with bugs
•
•
•
•
•
Proactive measures
Keep food, water from galleries and storage
areas.
Lay out traps to detect presence of bugs.
Quarantine newly arrived organic objects from
tropical areas in clear plastic bags.
Quarantine all featherwork and paper maché
objects.
Treat food or woods to be used in an exhibit.
Reactive Measures
• Treat infestations by non-chemical means
if possible.
• Oxygen deprivation and freezing are the
most common measures.
• Objects must be subjected to treatments
for lengthy periods and multiple times to
catch bugs in all of their developmental
stages.
Plexiglass/Acrylic
Acrylic case damaged by
careless opening of
packing by student
Things to keep in mind about acrylic
• It won’t expand – holes for screws must be
drilled to size.
• It is very soft – any abrasion will scratch it
including being placed on a hard surface.
• It deforms and melts when hot. It will
swallow hot drill bits.
• Ammonia acts as a solvent upon it – avoid
Windex – type cleaners.
Fine Art Packing
• Art objects must be packed so that they are
completely immobile.
• Fragile objects cannot be packed together with
heavy objects. Same with large and small.
• Pack objects together in boxes only if you are
absolutely certain that they will not adversely
affect each other, including during the unpacking
process.
• If an object is very delicate or fragile, then it
should be placed in a recess in a polyurethane
foam block cut to the shape of the object.
• Large, delicate objects have to be placed in
custom-built wooden crates. Same is true for
high-value objects.
• A record must be kept of how objects were
packed in such a crate so that they can be
repacked in the exact same manner.
Delicate high-value
Mayan pots.
Professionally-made
crate