Imagine untrained individuals dripping household epoxy glue on the surface of King Tut’s funerary mask. This incident took place recently at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. However, a similar occurrence took place in a small museum in Arizona approximately three years ago, permanently disfiguring a pristine sculpture made of polished clay.
In Egypt proper protocol was not followed. Professional conservators were not involved. Irreversible materials were not used.
Avoid mistakes in handling damaged artworks by seeking reliable conservation referrals.
The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (referred to in the trade as the AIC) is one source of conservation referrals.
Professional conservators have expertise in different materials, dating from different time periods. There are specialists in textiles, books and paper, paintings. objects, photographic materials, wooden artifacts. Some painting conservators are familiar with contemporary pigments, while others are practiced at more traditional materials used during the 19th century or earlier.
Corinne Cain of SavvyCollector.com