by Kelly Rectenwald, Conservator of Objects

3/27/2025

CAMconservation, mercury, objects conservation, mirror, Groesbeck House, gilded frame, 19th century furniture

Inside our objects conservation lab, this 19th-century mirror is once again standing upright in all of its glory for the first time in several decades.

by Kelly Rectenwald, Conservator of Objects

10/3/2024

CAMConservation, objects conservation, Cloisonne Tray, Qing Dynasty

The dark grime on its surface is thick and unevenly embedded in the layers of a degraded wax coating.

by Kelly Rectenwald, Conservator of Objects

8/8/2024

CAMConservation, objects conservation, Giambologna, Mercury, bronze, marble, scuplture

This week in objects conservation, we are cleaning marble.

by Kelly Rectenwald, Conservator of Objects

7/11/2024

Art Deco, CAMConservation, Joseph Urban, 1920s desk lamps, brass, tarnish, objects conservation

This pair of art deco lamps, designed by Joseph Urban, was last on view in 2022 as part of the exhibition Unlocking an Art Deco Bedroom by Joseph Urban.

by Kelly Rectenwald, Conservator of Objects

4/18/2024

Miss Mariko Okinawa, objects conservation, CAMConservation, teapot, Japanese Art, tea set

In our last post about the Miss Mariko Okinawa doll’s tea set, we discussed re-joining all of the tiny ceramic fragments.

by Kelly Rectenwald, Objects Conservator

2/22/2024

objects conservation, CAMConservation, micromosaic jewelry, fashion

This week in objects conservation, we are working on several pieces of micromosaic jewelry made in Italy during the late-19th century.

by Kelly Rectenwald, Objects Conservator

1/25/2024

CAMConservation, objects conservation, glass lamp shade, rejoining fragments

This iridescent green shade came to the lab in a box of fragments. Piece by piece, I built the individual fragments back into a shade.

by Kelly Rectenwald, Objects Conservator

12/28/2023

CAMConservation, objects conservation, tea set, Japan, Japanese Art, Miss Mariko Okinawa

These tiny ceramic fragments are part of a Japanese doll’s tea set. I am working on putting these pieces back together so that they can be displayed with their doll in the future.

by Kelly Rectenwald, Objects Conservator

11/9/2023

CAMConservation, objects conservation, ancient egypt, scarab ring, bronze, bronze disease

Several small copper alloy objects, pieces of jewelry and articles of adornment, are all showing signs of bronze disease.

by Kelly Rectenwald, Objects Conservator

10/12/2023

ancient egypt, ceramic jar, objects conservation, challenging repair, CAMConservation

In the Conservation Lab, we are working on this large ceramic jar from Dynasty I Egypt (3100–2900 BCE).

by Kelly Rectenwald, Objects Conservator

9/14/2023

behind the scenes, objects conservation, CAMConservation, Jain Shrine

If you’ve been following our Conservation blog posts, you may have seen several updates as we carried out treatment over the past two years.

by Kelly Rectenwald, Associate Objects Conservator

5/18/2023

behind the scenes, objects conservation, CAMConservation, Jain Shrine

The treatment on our Jain Shrine is (finally!) nearing completion!

by Kelly Rectenwald, Associate Objects Conservator

4/20/2023

CAMConservation, Celadon Glaze, Chinese bowl, Marine life, Saltwater, objects conservation

This fifteenth-century Chinese ceramic bowl presents some intriguing features that tell a fascinating story of its past. Shells and barnacles cover the bowl’s surface. These unusual attachments are commonly seen on objects that have spent time in ocean environments, in this example, possibly the result of a shipwreck.

by Kelly Rectenwald, Associate Objects Conservator

3/23/2023

behind the scenes, objects conservation, CAMConservation

After removing all the old adhesive and over paint, we revealed several areas of loss to the painted scene on the glazed surface. This loss was likely caused by the same incident that damaged the foot causing the piece to break into multiple fragments.

by Obie Linn, Associate Conservator of Textiles

3/2/2023

behind the scenes, objects conservation, CAMConservation, Palampore, South Asian Art, textile conservation

Are you a pal of Indian textiles? Then be sure to see the palampore currently on display in the South Asian Gallery!

by Kelly Rectenwald, Associate Objects Conservator

2/23/2023

behind the scenes, objects conservation, CAMConservation, Jain Shrine

While cleaning and conserving our Jain shrine, we discovered several layers of paint from different periods of its history. The carved wooden designs would have been repainted several times during its use as a devotional object.

by Obie Linn, Associate Conservator of Textiles

2/2/2023

conservation, CAMConservation, behind the scenes, objects conservation, Kehinde Wiley, vintage dress

Getting beautiful objects on display is a multi-stage process that often includes a stop (or several!) in Conservation. This week we installed some new objects in the Forecourt Gallery of the museum, including this child’s dress.

by Kelly Rectenwald, Associate Objects Conservator

1/26/2023

behind the scenes, objects conservation, CAMConservation, Jain Shrine

We are working on conserving a new piece of the shrine—which is cleaning up very well—revealing beautiful bright red and yellow pigments underneath the coating.

by Kelly Rectenwald, Objects Conservator

12/21/2022

CAMConservation, behind the scenes, objects conservation

Many of the carved items (such as the bow held in the hand of the figure on left side of the archway) had broken and required repairs to be carried out under a microscope.

by Conservation

11/17/2022

behind the scenes, objects conservation, CAMConservation, Jain Shrine

This week in objects conservation: Almost 12 months from when we first started the treatment, half of the Jain shrine has been conserved, and a new batch of pieces has moved into the lab to begin treatment.

by Conservation

10/20/2022

behind the scenes, objects conservation, CAMConservation, permanent collection

These large jars are in rough shape and are currently in the lab for some major repairs.

by Conservation

9/29/2022

CAMConservation, Palampore, textile conservation, South Asian Art, objects conservation

Take a peek into preparations for the reopening of the South Asian Galleries, December 2023.

by Conservation

7/28/2022

CAMConservation, Jain Shrine, Reveal, objects conservation, behind the scenes

This week in objects conservation: We have finished coating removal and cleaning of one of the 44 pieces of our Jain Shrine!

by Conservation

6/30/2022

behind the scenes, objects conservation, CAMConservation

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading about their treatment progress and enjoy seeing them back in the galleries on your next visit!

by Conservation

5/5/2022

behind the scenes, CAMConservation, objects conservation

This week in objects conservation: In contrast to our very large Jain shrine, this week we are working on a very tiny shrine!

by Conservation

4/7/2022

behind the scenes, objects conservation, CAMConservation, Jain Shrine

This week in objects conservation: We take another look at the progress being made on our 17th C Jain Shrine.

by Conservation

3/10/2022

behind the scenes, CAMConservation, Jain Shrine, objects conservation

This week in objects conservation: another large architectural object has entered the conservation lab!

by Conservation

2/10/2022

behind the scenes, objects conservation, CAMConservation, Mughal

This week in the objects conservation lab: A beautiful wooden cabinet inlaid with ivory and brass.

by Conservation

12/16/2021

behind the scenes, Nabataean art, Nabataean Shrine, stone conservation, objects conservation, archaeological conservation, CAMConservation, Nabatea

This week in objects conservation, we’re doing the finishing touches to the 100+ objects being installed in our newly renovated Ancient Middle East Gallery, opening Saturday, December 18.

by Conservation

10/14/2021

objects conservation, CAMConservation, ceramics conservation, archaeological conservation

Catch this object on view later this year when our Nabatean collections return to the galleries.