Archaeological conservation:
The development of analysis and assessment protocols for adhesives used on archaeological pottery
This research, started with a minor thesis conducted by Dr. Petronella Nel, which expanded into a collaboration with Deborah Lau at CSIRO Division of Materials Science and Engineering. Initially this study was supported by CSIRO, and later by an Early Career Researcher (2007) grant from the University of Melbourne, Detection of contaminants in conservation adhesives: A quality control issue. Investigations explored the use of: (1) ‘low tech’ methods and Fourier Transform Infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy for identifying adhesives associated with archaeological pottery and (2) the development of various analytical techniques for unambiguously identifying an additive in a conservation grade adhesive.
This research is now supported by an ARC-DP grant (2008-2010), being conducted by Research Associate Dr. Petronella Nel with Assoc. Prof. Robyn Sloggett (Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation), Prof. Antonio Sagona (Centre for Classics and Archaeology) and Deborah Lau (CSIRO Division of Materials Science and Engineering) as chief investigators.
Adhesives that are used to repair archaeological pottery require high standards in performance and formulation. We identified a formulae variation that occurred ten years ago, in a ‘conservation grade’ adhesive that has been used since the 1980’s. This change may have compromised the performance of this product. There appears to have been no industry awareness of this change. In order to prevent the use of adhesive products that no longer perform to conservation standards, this research will develop analytical pathways and protocols for adhesive identification, monitoring formulation and assessing adhesive performance. To assist with these investigations, pottery from the Melbourne University Cypriot Collection will be used to access adhesives from old repairs on the vessels.
Publications:
- Nel, P., Shepherson, K., Jamieson, A., 2008. “Cypriot Pottery at the University of Melbourne: An examination of historical context and conservation issues” in Leiden Journal of Pottery Studies (submitted)
- Nel, P. and Lau, D., 2008. “Identification of a contaminant in a conservation grade adhesive and determination of impact on adhesive performance” in Holding it all together: Ancient and modern approaches to joining, repair and consolidation – Conference Proceedings, British Museum, London, February 21-22, 2008, Archetype Publications, London (submitted)
- Nel, P. 2008. “Issues associated with adhesives used on archaeological pottery” in Vessels: Inside and Outside – EMAC’07 – 9th European Meeting on Ancient Ceramics – Conference Proceedings, October 24-27, 2007, Hungarian National Museum, Budapest (in press)
- Nel, P., 2007. “A preliminary investigation into the identification of adhesives on archaeological pottery” in AICCM Bulletin, vol. 30, p. 27-37
- Nel, P., Lau, D., Hoobin, P., Braybrook, C., Mardel, J., Burgar, I., Chen, M., Curtis, P., and McHugh, C., 2007. “Analysis of adhesive used to repair archaeological pottery” in Contemporary Collections – AICCM National Conference – Preprints, eds. A. Pagliarino and G. Osmond, Brisbane, 17th-19th October 2007, p. 197-206
- Nel, P., 2006. “A Valuable Contribution to the Field of Archaeological Conservation” in Ian Potter Museum of Art Newsletter, The University of Melbourne, no. 1, p. 10-11