It has been interesting to read the postings on the Brooklyn Museum: Dig Diary. Especially, as I work here in the conservation lab at the Brooklyn Museum, knowing that I will soon be in Egypt. Last year, my colleague Tina March and I (with the glasses) each spent approximately 4 weeks on the site of the Mut Temple Precinct. I started the season and Tina finished up with a one- week overlap to exchange information, and make a smooth transition. This year I'll be going at the end of the season to close, while an SCA Conservator from the Luxor Temple, Khaled Mohamed Wassel, who Tina and I worked with last year, has been keeping things in order. Being on an archaeological site, as a museum conservator is a fantastic learning experience. Nothing compares to seeing the condition of art objects, be they sandstone, limestone, organics or copper alloys, as they come directly out of the ground, after being buried for hundreds or thousands of years. Many times, in the conservation laboratory at the museum, when working with the archaeological objects in the collection, we see conditions that are a direct result of the burial environment. Seeing first hand what objects go through during burial, makes those conditions, often unstable, seem so much less terrifying to deal with in the museum.
My colleagues Tina March, pictured here with an Egyptian sandstone stele,
And Jakki Godfrey, seen here with an Egyptian copper alloy statue of Wadjet
will be dealing with the conservation issues at the Museum, while I'm at Mut. The sandstone stele, and the statue of Wadjet, are both archaeological objects in the Brooklyn Museum's collection. They are currently undergoing stabilization treatments for exhibition. Tina and Jakki will discuss these treatments, as they relate to the archaeological environment in upcoming posts to this blog. In the mean time, I have a lot of supplies to pack.
Lisa Bruno, Objects Conservator
