How do museum records help conservators take care of objects? This ancient Egyptian Battle Axe with

How do museum records help conservators take care of objects? This ancient Egyptian Battle Axe with Handle recently came off view from the Egyptian galleries in order for the exhibition case to be painted. It dates to ca. 1539-1292 BCE and has been in the museum’s collection since 1937. During deinstallation, it was noticed that some fragments of the leather plaiting around the handle had fallen off in the case.Closer examination in the conservation lab showed that the leather strips on one side had pulled away from the wood when compared to conservation images taken in 2000. The axe has been on view in the galleries for 15 years, so the 2000 images were taken not long before it was installed.What could have caused the leather to change shape? Conservators reviewed historical treatment reports that are kept each time an object is examined by conservation. Treatment reports dating back to 1938 indicated that the leather was fragile and had been coated with a synthetic adhesive and wax to stabilize it. In the 1990s the leather surface was described as disfigured by the adhesive and wax which had been applied too thickly. It was treated to reduce the materials applied to the leather, but they could not be fully removed because they had permeated the leather. In 2000 a similar treatment was carried out. These reports contained clues that explained why the leather had changed condition while on view. The specific adhesive chosen in 1938 was thermoplastic meaning it softens with heat and is hard when cool. The glass transition temperature of the adhesive used is around 75° F indicating that the adhesive starts to soften above that temperature. The leather likely changed shape because the temperature in the galleries rose above 75° F multiple times during the 15-year period it was on view, softening the adhesive and allowing the leather to slump and fragments to fall off. Conservators are working to reattach the fragments with a new adhesive and to reshape the leather plaiting using solvents and gentle heat. The object will return to a gallery with climate control that can be maintained below 75° F. Detailed museum conservation records are essential in understanding the history of an object since it has entered the collection and can guide conservators in caring for the artwork.Posted by Erin Anderson -- source link

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