Thinking outside the box: the re-conservation of a ceramic Clazomenian sarcophagus in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge

Not a Known Carcinogen: Health and Safety Considerations of New and Innovative Treatments

“…For the purposes of understanding the hazards of chemical use in museums, cyclododecane (CDD) offers an excellent case study to explore the health and safety issues related to use of innovative materials as well as materials where health and safety data may be unclear. In the museum field, CDD is one of several materials that can be used as a temporary consolidant to stabilize or protect object surfaces because it sublimes at room temperature (Rozeik 2018a). It is used in small to large scale projects, such as protecting soluble dyes on textiles during cleaning treatments (Larochette 2004) or coating fragile surfaces for a collection move (Perkins Arenstein et al 2003).…”

“…Even after its introduction in the 1990's, CDD continues to be used in new ways almost thirty years later. Conference proceedings of the Volatile Binding Media symposium included twenty-two papers, describing new adaptations of and adjustments to published treatments using CDD (Rozeik 2018b). Once the use of a particular material becomes common, assumptions are made about its use, including the need to take health and safety precautions particularly if it entered the field as a "safe" chemical.…”

The Conservation of a Mummified Child from the Australian Institute of Archaeology

“…A void of about 40 mm was present between the mask and the mummified child allowing textiles fragments to fall from the cavity on the proper right side of the mask. To prevent further loss, Japanese paper ropes were inserted into the cavity (Rozeik 2011). To achieve aesthetic unity, the final ropes were toned to the colour of the wrappings.…”

“…Building and shaping the new nose necessitated several steps using carefully selected sound conservation materials, which are different from the original material and therefore detectable. Two layers of dry Japanese paper ropes, ranging from 50 mm to 80 mm in length and 15 mm to 20 mm in width, were used to fill the proper left cheek cavity (Rozeik 2011). Three additional layers of Japanese paper ropes wet with starch paste were then applied on top to form a sound foundation on which to place the new nose.…”

Conservation of an Egyptian Pottery Sarcophagus from Saqqara Excavation, A Case Study

“…Choosing the material that was used to fill the missing parts depended on the shape of the pottery object and the method used to apply the filling material [20]. Gapfilling was undertaken primarily for aesthetic reasons, although it was hoped that it would also provide some additional support for the joined fragments [25]. This process is important for pottery objects due to these reasons: the completed object is ready for museum display and this process strengthens the artifacts [26,27].…”