Volume 10, Number 2, May 1988, p.19

Conferences in Review

On April 28-30 1988, the Antiquities Conservation Department of The J. Paul Getty Museum sponsored a conference on "Art Historical and Scientific Perspectives on Ancient Sculpture." Over two hundred participants attended this conference, which covered a broad range of topics of interest to both art historians and conservators. The following topics were covered by: "Ancient Quarrying and Trade", John Herrmann, Boston, Norman Herz, Georgia, and Luke Moens, Ghent; "Marble Provenancing", Susan Walker, London; "Techniques of Ancient Sculpture", Amanda Claridge, Rome, Evelyn Harrison, New York, Brunhilde Ridgeway, Bryn Mawr; "Detection of Marble Forgeries", Peter Rockwell, Rome, Flemming Johansen, Denmark; "Scientific Analysis and Identification of Marble", Josef Riederer, Berlin, Lorenzo Lazzarini, Rome; and "Scientific Analysis and Authentication", Richard Newmann, Boston, and Stan Margolis, U.C. Davis.

On 15 and 16 March 1988, the Smithsonian Institution sponsored a panel meeting with the title "How to Read Things." This extremely broad and multidisciplinary subject examined how one studies and interprets all objects that man uses and produces. In addition, the meeting stimulated discussions of new, and sometimes daring, approaches to this subject. The panel was attended by Pieter Meyers, Head of Conservation, Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

On 14 and 15 April 1988, the Scottish Society for Conservation and Restoration (SSCR) sponsored a two day meeting on the analysis and treatment of artifacts composed of modern organic materials in Edinburgh. The highly successful meeting brought polymer and organic chemists together with conservators. Topics included the history of polymers, basic polymer chemistry, degradation of polymers, and the conservation of plastics and rubbers. Sharon Blank and Don Sale presented papers. Copies of the preprints are still available from MPG Secretarial Services, 136 Queensferry Road, Edinburgh EH4 2BG, Scotland. The cost is 7.50 pounds including surface postage or 8.50 pounds including air mail.

On 15 and 16 April 1988, the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery hosted an international conference on "Investigating Artistic Environments in the Ancient Near East." Twelve individuals were invited to present papers including Pieter Meyers who spoke on "Silver as Artist's Material in the Sasanian Era".

As part of the Materials Research Society's (MRS) 1988 Spring Meeting, the Getty Conservation Institute sponsored a symposium entitled "Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology." James R. Druzik co-chaired the symposium held on 6-8 April 1988 in Reno. Chandra Reedy and Pieter Meyers presented papers. The proceedings are published as volume 123 of the MRS Symposium proceedings series.