Tag Archives: science
Conservation of a Cypriot krater
Object name: Cypriot krater Dimensions: 237 mm x 270mm Age: Iron Age Description: Beige coloured krater with dark brown, geometrical slip decoration. The ceramic was extremely fragile. Due to salt contamination the surface of around 65% of the rim and shoulder was lost or flaking off. The remaining 35% of the rim were broken into eight pieces. […]
Desalinating archaeological ceramics
The problem with salts Breakage, chipped edges, flaked off glaze or slip, detached handles etc. are common and very obvious types of damage that we often find in museum ceramic collections. But there are also more hidden risks for archaeological ceramics that have been buried in the ground for centuries. Soluble salts that have travelled […]
Conservation versus Access?
RAMM conservation intern Megan O’Connor wanted to share her experience of object conservation and the RAMM Leventis Project: Why conserve museum objects? The RAMM Leventis Project was conceived to provide access to the Greek and Cypriot collections at RAMM to people in Devon, the UK, and around the world. A key part of making objects […]
Repackaging small objects
Object Name: 3 ceramic pot sherds, 5 ceramic bird figurines. Date: Classical Greek Repackaging aim: Creating new housing that provides a secure environment and is ideal for handling purposes. Method: The shape of each object was cut out of an archival foam called Plastazote® to keep the objects in place. The Plastazote® was fitted into […]
Conservation of a Roman glass flask
Object Name: Glass flask/bottle Dimensions: 20 shards Age: Roman Period Glass. Collector living in Cyprus between 1879-1907 Description: Glass vessel originally in 20 pieces. Once re-assembled it has a round bell-like bottom with a long neck. Object has localised area of iridescence and insoluble salt deposits. Larger shards have running cracks from when it was broken. Treatment: The glass […]
Conservation of a pottery bowl from Cyprus
This Cypriot pottery bowl was the first object I treated with the funding from the A.G Leventis Foundation. Object Name: Ceramic Bowl Dimensions: Width: 87mm Length: 105 mm Depth: 39mm Age: Bronze Age, 2000BC Description: Round bottom shallow bowl, with an upstanding single loop handle from the rim. The ceramic bowl came into the lab in 11 pieces, […]
Hello from the conservation labs!
I’m Kirstie; I am a collections care conservator and have been working at RAMM for nearly four years. I was very lucky to be able to work on the stunning collections that went into the Ancient Worlds Gallery, and to be able to continue that work on the Greek and Cypriot collection with help from […]
Meet the team!
The project team say hello! A wide range of people are working on our project to make RAMM’s Cypriot and Greek archaeology collections better known. From the museum we have Jenny and Tom the Curators who look after the collection, Kirstie the Conservator who is repacking and treating objects, Helen and Rick our digital media staff who are […]
Hello world!
Welcome to the Leventis Project blog! We are working on our Greek and Cypriot archaeology collections at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery, known as RAMM. This project is funded by the AG Leventis Foundation. The blog will capture the project’s progress, give you an insight into museum object conservation and open a […]
