AIC's 52nd Annual Meeting

A heavily restored early 19th century Staffordshire lead-glazed refined earthenware tankard bearing the rare inscription “AMERICA INDEPENDENT 1776” was recently gifted to The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. With the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence approaching, a great interest in displaying this tankard meant extensive conservation treatment needed to take place. The actual condition of the tankard on arrival was obscured by overpaint covering the entire surface. No records of prior restoration are known despite the object belonging to the family of the donor since the mid-19th century. Throughout this project I had to make treatment decisions in response to new information about the condition of the tankard as it was revealed, developing a plan in phases without knowing what the next phase would require. The surprises encountered along the way led to investigations that often yielded more surprising results.

Digital X-radiography prior to treatment revealed an impact fracture with associated fragments, cracks, and voids and past restoration campaigns with invasive repairs including extensive removal of original material to insert six metallic rivets across the cracks. Phase one of the treatment required removal of the overpaint to understand the condition of the ceramic surface. After numerous applications of a Laponite RD poultice with acetone, I removed the coating layers revealing quite a few surprises including a glaze that was heavily abraded in areas of past repair, localized amorphous black/brown stains, and lead rivets that were corroding and lifting from their cavities. This secondary examination revealed that the rivets were likely a preventive measure against the worsening of the cracks and served no structural repair function. FTIR analysis lent insight to the prior restoration materials used such as PVA bulked with gypsum, helping date some of the previous repairs to the mid-20th century. A ceramic repair reference book from this period makes specific mentions of techniques requiring the application of a rotary blade to remove ceramic body followed by the insertion of repair materials, almost identical descriptions of the present lead repairs and a loss at the rim of the tankard that was mechanically altered before filling. The amorphous, localized stains were less forthcoming with their origin story. SEM-EDS and XRF analysis were largely inconclusive and visual examination only confirmed the strange nature of the stains present both in areas with exposed ceramic body and beneath glaze that was intact.

With some questions answered and some remaining, I had to move forward with treatment despite a degree of uncertainty. I consulted recent publications, colleagues, and my own intuition for guidance and determined that safety and aesthetics were the priorities of this treatment. With full curatorial support, I proceeded with removing the lead rivets entirely as they posed a health and safety risk, were actively deteriorating, and served no structural purpose. I pursued stain reduction via bleach application where possible to unify the visual appearance of the tankard. The remaining aesthetic compensation aims to approach the original intention that the previous owners clearly valued without obscuring the present condition overall.