TECHNICAL EXAMINATION OF A MICA CUT-OUT
Project
Description
Bibligraphic
References
Rehousing
of Mica Fragments from Mound Sites
Image
Descriptions
Project Description
Depicted on the Peabody Museum's Archaeological Collections web page is the image of a serpent, a mica cut-out from Turner Mound at a Hopewell site located in Ohio.
The Hopewell people inhabited much of the Eastern United States between 2100 and 1500 B.P. and are noted for their prolific, large earthwork constructions such as Turner Mound. Located in Hamilton County, Ohio, the mound consists of a large enclosed oval with a graded ramp leading to an elevated enclosed circle. Within the oval enclosure were eleven mounds; the serpent was found in Mound 4. Excavation of Turner Mound took place in 1882 by C. L. Metz, the on-site archaeologist, under the direction of Frederic Ward Putnam, then director of the Peabody Museum.
In 1995, the fragile mica form (#82-35-10/29683) was brought from storage to the Museum's conservation lab, for removal from a 1970s wood exhibit support so that publication photography could be completed, and for the purpose of fabricating a more protective storage mount. As part of the conservation documentation process, paper and photographic archival records dating from 1882 to 1922 of the mica's excavation and post-excavation history were reviewed.
The serpent is made from what has been identified as muscovite mica and measures 25.8 x 34.2 cm; the width of the body varies from 5.2 to 7.5 cm. Measuring an average of 0.19 cm in thickness, the upper portion is nearly twice as thick as the lower portion which measures an average of 0.05 and 0.07 cm. Given the tendency of the mica to exfoliate, it seems likely that some sheets have been lost. The method of manufacture of mica cut-outs is uncertain. The edges are very clean and smoothly cut. It is possible that obsidian, flint, or chert blades were used since these were recovered in abundance from the Turner Mound site. 1
The mica surface is scored with shallow decorative incision marks in the location of the serpent's head. These marks have been interpreted as stylized horns; the horned serpent being an important deity in Hopewell according to C. C. Willoughby. Many representations of the horned serpent in different materials have been found at Turner and other mound sites. The cut-out was assembled from a total of twelve mica fragments; the lower half being the most fragmented and composed of nine sections after the second bend. A greenish-yellow fluorescence under ultraviolet light is visible along the breaks and attributable to adhesive used in a previous restoration. Upon close examination, it was noted that this backing had a number written in red paint. Reference to the Museum's catalogue ledgers confirmed that the number was associated with another accessioned artifact and described in the ledger as a mica mirror. This mirror was cut apart and utilized as the backing material for the serpent most likely in the early 1920s, and would have been a very uncharacteristic early restoration technique.
Several incision marks, previously unrecorded, were noticed on the underside, one immediately behind the lower jaw and one on top of the head. The full extent of incisions cannot be determined because of the backing. The adhesive used on the backing is insoluble, making its removal extremely problematic. Besides the loss of a mica mirror and an applied backing that obscures valuable information, the accuracy of the 1920s restoration of the current physical form of the serpent is questionable.
Many of the mica cut-outs in the Peabody collection show evidence of having been painted from a palette of black, white, red, and yellow. Accretions found on the front of the serpent closely resemble in color the red pigment found on other mica artifacts. XRD and EDS-microprobe analysis were conducted to compare the composition of known paint samples and the accretions to determine if they may be the vestiges of purposely applied paint. Quantitative EDS spectra revealed a significantly low concentration of iron oxide, a common constituent in anhydrous red ochre. The reddish accretions are more likely to be burial earth. An associated research endeavor is currently in process to identify other pigments found on mica artifacts.
The above text was prepared for this web page by Susan Peschken from her research report. Ms. Peschken served as the Museum's 1995--96 full-year conservation intern and completed the technical examination under supervision of Scott Fulton and T. Rose Holdcraft.
Bibliographic References
Putnam, Prof. F. W. and Willoughby, C. C. 1895. "Symbolism in Ancient American Art," in The Selected Archaeological Papers of Frederic Ward Putnam. N.Y.: AMS Press, Inc. for the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 1973: pp.19--30.
Willoughby, Charles C. 1916. "The Art of the Great Earthwork Builders of Ohio," in Holmes Anniversary Volume, Anthropological Essays, Presented to William Henry Holmes in Honor of His Seventieth Birthday, December 1, 1916.by His Friends and Colaborers. NY: AMS Press, Inc. for the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, reprinted 1977: 469--80.
Willoughby, Charles C. 1922. The Turner Group of Earthworks Hamilton County, Ohio, in Papers of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Vol. VIII, No. 3. Cambrige, MA: Peabody Museum: pp. 68--69.
Rehousing of Mica Fragments from Mound Sites
The above technical study of the mica serpent provided an opportunity for the remainder of the mica fragments to be documented, organized, and rehoused compactly to facilitate efficient and safe research access. Approximately 80 mica fragments from excavated mound sites in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Ohio were rehoused in durable archival-quality hinged paperboard folders. This 1997 rehousing project was implemented by one of the Conservation Department's pre-program conservation volunteers, Carolyn Riccardelli.
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1. Photograph of display
side of the Mica Serpent (#82-35-10/29683) with red
lines indicating locations of the 12 mica
fragments. |
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