CONSERVATION TREATMENT AND ANALYSIS OF A SOUTHWEST PUEBLO CERAMIC VESSEL Project Description Analysis and Abbreviated Treatment Notes Image Descriptions Project Description Excavation Site: New Mexico: Catron County, Mariana Mesa, Quemado vicinity Site 616, Area C, Room 5, found in a granary bin This bowl is one of many ceramic vessels in the Museum's collections found in broken condition in the first half of the 20th Century. Subsequent to its excavation, the bowl was reconstructed from the fifty sherds located at the site. The ceramic bowl has a low-fire porous clay body decorated with a thin red slip. The inside has a black painted design applied before firing on top of the red slip. On the outer area at the sides is an off-white painted design, thinly applied after firing. The bowl is in fair condition suffering mainly from adhesive failure. The surface of the ceramic has a fine pattern of cracks mostly in the slip. The cracks are not very deep (approx. 1 mm), and the surface appears stable. Along the broken edges, there is excess adhesive residue from its initial reconstruction. There are several sherds missing from the ceramic and chips missing from the rim, all appearing to be old losses.
	Analysis and Abbreviated Treatment Notes Adhesive failure apparently occurred over time during periods of elevated summer heat which caused the adhesive to soften and flow; sherds would slowly displace and separate, with adhesive strands stretching across gaps. In cooler months the adhesive would solidify; the bowl's shape being slightly deformed. Conservation treatment involved the separation of the sherds using an organic solvent, and the cleaning of old adhesive from all edges and surfaces. All existing sherd edges were consolidated, and the vessel was reconstructed with an acrylic resin adhesive. This bowl and others were conserved by Renee Jones (the Museum's 1994--95 conservation intern). Additional ceramic pieces have been recently cleaned and/or reconstructed by Susan Peschken (1995--96 conservation intern), Joel Jablonski (1997 pre-program conservation volunteer), and Carolyn Riccardelli (1997 pre-program conservation volunteer). Many other vessels await conservation treatment and will be conserved on an item-by-item basis as needed for research, or under future grant-funded conservation treatment projects.
	1. Ceramic vessel after conservation 2. During treatment of the vessel Click on images to see them larger. All material copyright © 1998 President and Fellows of Harvard College, all rights reserved Programs and Services | Preventative Conservation | Research and Treatment Departments | Peabody Museum http://www.peabody.harvard.edu/conservation/