AIC's 52nd Annual Meeting

The use of substituted and manufactured ceramic fragments are both known to be historic restoration techniques. Unexpected cracking of an amphora’s handle at The Mariners’ Museum and Park, in Newport News, Virginia, would lead to a treatment full of pivots. As will be highlighted, through conservation, it was identified that three to four different amphoras had been used to reconstruct a Dressel 1 type held together internally by iron dowels. Lack of information relating to this reconstruction made the discovery a surprise. Only when the iron dowels in the ceramic had begun to corrode was there an indication that alterations had been made to the artifact.

While keeping the historic reconstruction would highlight past techniques and allow for interpretation to use it for display, the instability of the iron dowels meant further damage to the amphora was inevitable if left in place. Discussion with curators about the reconstruction and understanding of the Frankenstein-like nature of the amphora changed as treatment progressed.

This paper will provide an overview of the treatment and ethical challenges associated with the mechanical removal of the embedded iron dowels and additional reconstruction materials along with overpaint, and artificially applied marine growth. In addition, discussion will be given to what was learned about the composite object’s history during the conservation treatment and how that knowledge plus treatment limitations led to a final decision on how the object would be presented post-conservation.