The Restoration and Conservation of a Bronze Artefact †
Museum of Dacian and Roman Civilization, 1 Decembrie Street, no. 39, 330005, Deva, Hunedoara County, Romania
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
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Presented at the 16th International Symposium “Priorities of Chemistry for a Sustainable Development” PRIOCHEM, Bucharest, Romania, 28–30 October 2020.
Proceedings 2020, 57(1), 99; https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2020057099
Published: 20 November 2020
(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The 16th International Symposium “Priorities of Chemistry for a Sustainable Development” PRIOCHEM)
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.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by a grant of the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation, CNCS/CCCDI—UEFISCDI, project number PN-III-P1-1.2-PCCDI-2017-0413, within PNCDI III.
References
- Bodo, C. Un vase de bronz trouve̒ dans la zone de Sarmizegetusa-la capitale du Royaume Dcae. Bull. Instrumentum 2010, 31, 27–28. [Google Scholar]
- Plenderleith, H.D. The Conservation of Antiquities and Works of Art; Oxford University Press: Oxford, UK, 1966. [Google Scholar]
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MDPI and ACS Style
Popitiu, I.; Dan, D.L. The Restoration and Conservation of a Bronze Artefact. Proceedings 2020, 57, 99. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2020057099
AMA Style
Popitiu I, Dan DL. The Restoration and Conservation of a Bronze Artefact. Proceedings. 2020; 57(1):99. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2020057099
Chicago/Turabian StylePopitiu, Ioana, and Dorina Liliana Dan. 2020. "The Restoration and Conservation of a Bronze Artefact" Proceedings 57, no. 1: 99. https://doi.org/10.3390/proceedings2020057099
