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Conserving the Past for the Future
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About the Exhibition
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| Problems with Oxidation and Corrosion Merovingian Scramasax, about AD 500-700 Iron, copper alloy (brass), gold foil, gold wire, gemstones 21-3/8 x 2-1/2 inches Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1926.429 Metals or alloys that are resistant to oxidation or corrosion are called "noble." This single-edged knife, on view in Gallery 211, was manufactured using three different metals: gold, copper, and iron. Since gold is the most noble metal, the gold elements of the knife remain uncorroded, while the "baser" metals such as copper and iron have corroded. However, the copper in the copper-alloy fittings is more noble than the baser iron. Thus the corrosion of the copper-alloy is limited to the formation of a green corrosion layer (called a patina) on the surface while the structural features remain well preserved. In contrast, the iron blade has been almost completely mineralized, or converted back to an iron ore. |
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Finding your way around
Conserving the Past for the Future explores a blend of art, science, and craft in four thematic sections: Ethical and Philosophical Issues, Condition, Treatment, and Examination.This exhibition introduces the multifaceted practice of art conservation as revealed by objects from the museum's collection. On view here for the first time in more than 20 years is a painting of Saint Catherine, attributed when purchased in 1974 to the German Renaissance master Matthias Grünewald, revealed through conservators' research to be a 20th-century forgery. An interactive computer display and hands-on activities with examples of artists' materials is also part of the installation.
In the exhibition at the museum the visitor will find more than 65 objects from Asia, the Americas, Africa, and Europe including works on paper, textiles, metal, leather, stone, ceramic, and wood. These works, ranging in date from antiquity to the 20th century, give an intimate, behind-the-scenes glimpse into conservation techniques and the goals of examining, treating, and preserving works of art. A small number of the objects in the exhibition are featured here.
Ethical and Philosophical Issues
Condition Issues
Treatments
Examinations
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