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'Conservator' Damages Tutankhamun Death Mask
Kapellmeister
Posts: 41,322 Forum Member
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What an asinine thing to do! The beard got knocked off, or became loose, so they stuck it back on with super glue! Apparently you can now see a band of glue between the top of the beard and the chin. I find it hard to believe something like this can happen in a 21st century museum:
Just ******* look at it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B7oY4NeCIAEGLrh.jpg
WTF were they thinking???:???
Three of the museum’s conservators reached by telephone gave differing accounts of when the incident occurred last year, and whether the beard was knocked off by accident while the mask’s case was being cleaned, or was removed because it was loose.
They agree however that orders came from above to fix it quickly and that an inappropriate adhesive was used. All spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of professional reprisals.
“Unfortunately he used a very irreversible material — epoxy has a very high property for attaching and is used on metal or stone but I think it wasn’t suitable for an outstanding object like Tutankhamun’s golden mask,” one conservator said.
“The mask should have been taken to the conservation lab but they were in a rush to get it displayed quickly again and used this quick-drying, irreversible material,” the conservator added.
The conservator said that the mask now shows a gap between the face and the beard, whereas before it was directly attached. “Now you can see a layer of transparent yellow,” the conservator said.
Another museum conservator, who was present at the time of the repair, said that epoxy had dried on the face of the boy king’s mask and that a colleague used a spatula to remove it, leaving scratches. The first conservator, who inspects the artifact regularly, confirmed the scratches and said it was clear that they had been made by a tool used to scrape off the epoxy.
Just ******* look at it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B7oY4NeCIAEGLrh.jpg
WTF were they thinking???:???
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Oh, I'm pretty sure no thinking was involved!
Hopefully future conservation techniques will allow a full restoration. It just boggles my mind that anyone, any human being, could do something so stupid. I'm so angry about it.
I know a couple of people who work as conservation assistants in museums. If they tried to "conserve" something with superglue they would be sacked before the glue had time to dry. How someone with the responsibility of such an important and iconic artefact can be so stupid is utterly beyond me.
Especially as IIRC the head of the Egyptian museum's in charge of the ancient artefacts is from what I've heard quite nasty when people make even minor mistakes.
sounds like Dennis Lincoln-Park, from Armstrong and Miller
I'm trying to find the views of some Western conservators on how the botch could possibly be remedied.
The breakage itself now forms part of the artefact's history.
It is amazing however when you look at it and consider how long it remained down there undiscovered.
I assume David Cameron is being blamed on Twitter! ;-)
It may well be possible to reverse the damage but it will be extremely expensive and time-consuming to do so.
I simply do not understand how the conservators could make such a mistake. It is an absolutely fundamental rule (basically, the very first thing you are taught) that you never attempt to restore or repair artefacts with anything other than substances that can be removed if needed. One reason is that we do not know how substances will react over time with the artefact so damage or degradation may occur in the future. Another reason is that initially only a few pieces of, say, a pot is found. if other pieces later come to light, it may not be possible to fit them if the 'restored' pot cannot be deconstructed.
It would be safely tucked up in the BM now.
I have read that the husband of the woman who broke it did it himself hoping that no-one would notice. I've still not found anything regarding future restoration. Surely epoxy glue can't be impossible to remove?
The same thought occurred to me.
Didn't take them long.
So how does he explain this
http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/120988/Heritage/Ancient-Egypt/-Archaeological-committee-assigned-to-inspect-glue.aspx
Call in some ****** experts to have a look at it, ffs.
I am fairly sure that epoxy resin is possible to remove either mechanically or chemically but it would have to be done in a specialist laboratory with, in this case, extremely highly qualified conservators. They would have to take into account not only the glue used but also the variety of different materials it was used on. It is likely that they would spend several weeks if not months doing tests and trial runs on similar materials before attempting to deal with the damage on the real thing.
That gives me hope that the disaster can be rectified. It's a shame that all the news sites are leading with essentially the same story with the same quotes. What most people want to know is 'Can it be fixed?'.
I am just totally astonished.
FFS one of the great archaeological treasures on the planet has been severely damaged.
Simply disgusting - this should be a bloody major news story.
Mind you the Egyptians have never really cared for their unique history - and since the so called 'Arab Spring' (a total disaster) the situation has become even worse. >:(
For the right conservators, it would be the job of a lifetime!:)
It is quite amazing what can actually be done in conservation labs these days. The technology involved is very complex and thus very expensive so can only really be used on the most precious artefacts. For example, it looks like we are nearer to being able to read the carbonised scrolls from Herculaneum.
I shall stick to (no pun intended!) putting Roman pots together in my kitchen! (with water soluble glue!)
I do appreciate how strongly you feel about it. Not my intention to offend and I do recognise it as a tragedy. I was just being honest - recognising my own failings in a way.
But, had I spotted your original thread and the tone I wouldn't have posted at all.
Please accept my apologies.