Marble

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My query is addressed to marble conservators. It concerns a large
19th century marble sculpture made in carrara marble, which is in
our collection. Prior to the 1980s when climatic controlled
conditions were installed in the public galleries, this marble was
subjected to atmospheric pollution. It was cleaned in the early
1980s using the poultice method (refer "The Conservation of
Antiquities and Works of Art": Plenderleith and Werner. pub. 1971,
London, Oxford University Press) with a fair degree of success; in
1992 it was cleaned using a dilute solution of Vulpex and then it
was swabbed down with purified water. It has deteriorated very badly
over the past six months and has become very stained, with large
greenish-brown stains marring the appearance of the work. It is on
view in one of the public galleries of the Durban Art Gallery.

    1.  What cleaning methods should be employed to reduce the
        staining?

    2.  Since the mid-1980s it has been placed on a cement base.
        Would there be acid in the cement which might be the cause
        of the staining?

Our philosophy in conserving the works in the permanent collection
of the Durban Art Gallery is to use methods of conservation which
are reversible and cleaning substances which are not harmful in the
long term.

Jill Addleson
Curator of Collections
Durban Art Gallery
PO Box 4085
Durban 4000
South Africa
Fax: +27 31 3683093
+27 31 3327286

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 11:72
                Distributed: Tuesday, February 24, 1998
                       Message Id: cdl-11-72-018
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