Stručni rad
Antique jug from Mursa - from finding to making the fascimile by electroforming
Josip Kralik
; Muzej Slavonije, Osijek
Sažetak
In late August of 2011, in the course of archaeological excavations of the Ancient town of Mursa, an antique flagon was discovered, evidently well-preserved, with a threefoil mouth and an associated handle. The flagon was cast from copper alloy, while portions of the anthropomorphic relief on the handle were further decorated with inlaid and later finished silver. Based on its typology, a comparison with the previously examined analogues flagons, as well as a preliminary analysis of the archaeological layer in which it was found, the flagon can be dated to the end of the first, i.e. the turn of the second century AD.
The flagon is characterized by a wide three-foil mouth, i.e. an opening in the form of a three-leaf clover, a round body and tall handle in the shape of an (unfinished) letter S and decorated with an anthropomorphic high relief. By comparing analogous flagons and relying on previous research of Ancient Mursa, the paper proposes hypotheses on its origin and explains the mythical anthropomorphic depiction from the relief of the handle. A detailed account is given of the procedures of preliminary conservation research and the cleaning trials by which the well-preserved original surface and silver inlays on the relief of the handle were located. The removal of solid and coherent layers of corrosion was performed by way of mechanical cleaning, with all the conservation procedures of cleaning, integration, partial reconstruction and protection of the flagon described in detail.
The paper presents a comprehensive overview of all conservation work performed on the flagon, describing all the procedures and methods used to produce its facsimile. A special emphasis is put on arguing for the proper use of electrolysis in conservation, and also for the disregarded but advisable and often necessary production of high-quality facsimiles of precious and endangered artefacts.
A facsimile of the flagon was made as part of the project through which the Museum of Slavonia wishes to form a collection of facsimiles of its finest artefacts that are to be used in the museum’s education programmes. A facsimile of the flagon body was electrotyped in copper, while the handle was forged by casting the subsequently copper eletroplated tin. This paper presents a comprehensive overview and analysis of all the techniques, especially electrotyping, used for making the facsimile. Although electrotyping is poorly developed in the Croatian conservation practice, it does not mean that it is impossible to make facsimiles of metal artefacts in local laboratories and workshops, by using the very technique of electrotyping that even in today’s world of highly-developed nanotechnologies still represents a method that produces the most faithful copy.
This paper, among other things, attempts to show that even with relatively little technical equipment and with the knowledge of specific conservation methods and electrochemical processes, a superb copy of an artefact can be manufactured, and be rightfully called a facsimile.
Ključne riječi
Hrčak ID:
217716
URI
Datum izdavanja:
29.1.2016.
Posjeta: 1.269 *