Chocolate

I've been presented with a rather disgusting sticky problem! I am a
conservation intern at the Horniman Museum and Gardens and I have
been asked to condition assess and treat four 1980s Mexican
chocolate skulls which were stored in unfavourable conditions (at
the top of a store and then in a fridge which subsequently broke
down) and have since grown a nice crop of mould and become
misshapen.  The icing has also liquefied and taken on the shape of
the plastic packaging. Has anyone else managed (or attempted) to
treat or take on a conservation problem such as this?

I'm worried about using a solvent because of the reported risk of
partially dissolving the surface (Wharton et al 1995:167),
especially when its obscured by mould.

    Wharton, G., Blank, S. D. and Dean, J. C., 1995.
    "Sweetness and Blight: Conservation of Chocolate Works of Art"
    in From Marble to Chocolate.  the conservation of modern
    sculpture, (ed J. Heuman), Archetype Press: London, 162-170.

Kathleen Magill
Conservation Intern
The Horniman Museum and Gardens


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 22:5
                  Distributed: Thursday, July 17, 2008
                        Message Id: cdl-22-5-016
                                  ***