7 PLAQUE

The shell inlays of the front plaque were set into a dark brown wax, presumably the paraffin wax used to lift the object mixed with the remains of the original bitumen adhesive (see fig. 1b, page 246). One piece of the shell border was missing (from the observer's upper right); it was unclear whether this was a recent loss. The plaque had been backed with a layer of a hard, gray, plasterlike material in good condition.

Old adhesive from the back of the plaque and fake inlay on the sides were removed with a scalpel. The surface of the shell was cleaned with ethanol. The missing piece of shell was restored with acrylic modeling paste and inpainted with acrylic paints.