The Restoration and Conservation of a Bronze Artefact ^†

The bronze vessel is dated from the Imperial Roman age, during the first and second centuries. This Italic import item was probably produced in a Campania workshop and reached the territory of the Dacian Kingdom before the Roman conquest. Many such artefacts were discovered in the settlements and fortresses near the capital Sarmizegetusa Regia [1].

The preservation state of the item was influenced mainly by the nature of the soil in which it rested, but also by its composition. We are dealing with the corrosion compounds of the cooper alloy that deeply affected the integrity of the walls. Thus, they became friable and, in some places, the resulting galvanic cells entirely destroyed the metal. The whole surface of the object displays randomly positioned mineral and vegetal depositions. On the outer wall, in the place where the handle was accidentally detached, traces of an empirical intervention are visible, and this is probably a tin patch attempt.

After initiating laboratory analyses and investigations, as well as after running several cleaning tests, the corrosion products were identified and a restoration flux was established and implemented: degreasing, dry and wet mechanical cleaning, local chemical treatment, stabilization, neutralization, filling the missing portions, chromatic integration, and final conservation [2].

The restoration and conservation of this bronze vessel represented the main method for its salvation and valorization, through exhibiting it for the visiting public.