The following list includes selected treatments and projects, including those that have been published in exhibition catalogs, professional conservation publications or websites. Select an image below to see detailed treatment photographs for each project.  

​Additional examples of conservation treatments are available upon request at info@the-foundobject.com

CERAMICS

STONE

PLASTER

FURNITURE

ETHNOGRAPHIC

METALS

All images and content of this website are property of Kerith Koss Schrager or credited owner.  
They may not be copied or disseminated without direct written consent. 

GREEK COLUMN KRATER
(Ceramic, Greek, c. 470 BC, New York University Classics Department)

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This Greek Krater was reconstructed from 10 large fragments and numerous small shards.  After adhering the fragments, fills were applied to significant losses around the neck, handles and designs.  At the owner's request, visual integration of the fills reduced the fragmentary appearance of the piece, while allowing the viewer to see that the krater had been restored.

SEE THE TREATED OBJECT AND READ MORE ABOUT THIS PIECE:
Bonfante, L.  and Fowlkes, B. 2006. Classical Antiquities at New York University, Rome: L'Erma di Bretschneider.

 

"PEKING" DINNER SERVICE
(Ceramic, American, 19th century, Beauvoir)

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Following Hurricane Katrina, fragments of this dinner service were recovered from among the debris on the estate of Beauvoir on the Gulf Coast in Biloxi, MS.  Pieces of the service were sorted from among thousands of other ceramic shards recovered from the site.  Two dinner plates and two soup bowls were completely reconstructed and restored.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TREATMENT OF THE CERAMICS FROM THE GULF COAST RECOVERY PROJECT

 

ISLAMIC TILE PANEL
(Ceramic, Damascus, 16-17th century, Brooklyn Museum, 37.409.1-54)

Leading a team of five conservators and interns, this 48-tile architectural panel was removed from a 6" thick cement and wood  backing.  Old restorations, surface cleaning, and reconstruction of tiles were completed for all tiles and they were reassembled in new mounting system designed specifically for this unique installation in the Museum gallery.

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 READ ABOUT THE TREATMENT AND INSTALLATION IN THE EXHIBITION Connecting Cultures: A World in Brooklyn:
Kerith Koss, "Connecting with Conservation," Brooklyn Museum Blog

 

BLUE AND WHITE RADIAL BOWL
(Ceramic, Iran, 13th c., Brooklyn Museum, 75.2)

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Old repairs and discoloration were removed from this 13th century fritware bowl.  The cleaned fragments were reassembled with conservation grade adhesives and a loss in the rim was reconstructed and painted to match the surrounding surface.

SEE THIS OBJECT:
Great Hall, 1st Floor, Brooklyn Museum

 

RED-ON-BUFF CERAMICS
(Earthenware, Thailand, 2nd c. BCE, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery)

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 Thirty Southeast Asian prehistoric “red-on-buff” vessels from the Ban Chiang Cultural Tradition were treated to reverse old repairs and conduct a technical analysis.  The project resulted in the first published technical study on ceramics from the Ban Chiang Cultural Tradition in a museum collection.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PROJECT AND THE RESULTS:
Kerith Koss, Blythe McCarthy, and Ellen Salzman Chase. 2011. "Examination of Ceramic Vessels from the Ban Chiang Culture in the Collection of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery," Preprints of the ICOM-CC 16th Triennial Conference, Lisbon, 19-23 September, 2011. CD-ROM.   International Council of Museums (ICOM). 

 

MINA'I CERAMICS 
(Ceramic, 13th- 14th centuries, Freer Gallery of Art)

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These intricate Persian painted ceramics were only produced for a brief period in the 14th century and very little is known about their manufacture.  This technical study looked at the application and composition of the glazes on several mina'i fragments from the Freer Gallery of Art Study Collection, Smithsonian Institution.

READ MORE ABOUT THIS PROJECT AND THE RESULTS:  
Kerith Koss, Blythe McCarthy, Ellen Salzman Chase and Dylan Smith, Analysis  of Persian Painted Minai Ware, Scientific Research on Historic Asian Ceramics: Proceedings of the Fourth Forbes Symposium at the Freer Gallery of Art.  McCarthy, B. et al. (Eds.),
London: Archetype Publications Ltd. (2009), p. 33-47.

   

GIRL WITH ROLLER SKATES
(Stone, Nathaniel Kaz, 20th century)

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An old restoration had failed on the front corner of this Nathaniel Kaz stone sculpture.  Additional damage occurred due to the improper adhesive that was used for the repair.  The old adhesive was removed and the corner was reconstructed using original fragments and  appropriate materials. 

 

FACE FROM A
SARCOPHAGUS COVER
(Stone, Ancient Egypt, New Kingdom, Brooklyn Museum, 16.207)

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This second millennium BCE, Egyptian stone face had been heavily restored to disguise the fact that it was fragmentary with numerous losses.  Old repairs were removed and the fragments were adhered.  Losses were filled and painted to match the original surface.  Areas where the original form could be not be identified were left without compensation. 

   

NAMBAN LACQUER CHEST
(Mixed Media, Japan, 17th century, Freer|Sackler Galleries)

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Extensive restorations distracted from the beauty of this 17th century Japanese, lacquer chest with gilding and mother-of-pearl inlay.  Although all of the restorations could not be safely removed without further damaging the chest, old restoration painting was removed and replaced with designs that were more consistent with the original appearance.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS OBJECT AND TEHE EXHIBITION Encompassing the Globe: Portugal and the World in the 16th and 17th Centuries: 
Levenson, JM (Ed). 2007. Encompassing the Globe: Portugal and the World in the 16th and 17th Centuries. 
Washingtion, DC: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.

 

WAINSCOT CHAIR
(Painted Oak, American, second half 17th century, Brooklyn Museum, 51.158)

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Collaborating with craftsman and curators to create replica chair,  the painted surfaces were examined to determine the original paint scheme.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CREATION OF THE REPLICA CHAIR AND THE TECHNIQUES FOR EXAMINING PAINTED SURFACES: 
Kerith Koss, "Take a seat...", Brooklyn Museum Blog
SEE THIS OBJECT: 
Fourth Floor Schenck Gallery, Brooklyn Museum, Permanent Exhibition

   

WARRIOR SHIRT
(Mixed Media, Sioux, 19th Century, Brooklyn Museum, 50.67.1a)

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Most of the quillwork on this 19th-century Sioux warrior shirt was damaged and loose.  During treatment large sections were reconstructed using conservation grade materials and rewoven with the original materials.   The brittle and distorted leather was humidified and reshaped for display on a custom fit mannequin.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS OBJECT AND THE EXHIBITION Tipi: Heritage of the Great Plains

 

ELVIS MASK
(Mixed Media, African, ca. 1977, Brooklyn Museum, 2010.41)

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Tattered and insect infested, this ceremonial  mask was groomed to remove old insect casings and debris. Painted surfaces were lightly cleaned and stabilized.  The textiles around the neck were reconstructed and secured around the bottom edge of the mask by stitching the original textile to a support backing of nylon netting - providing support for the original fabric without altering the appearance.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ELVIS MASK AND ITS TREATMENT:
(1) Kerith Koss, Elvis is in the building, Brooklyn Museum Blog
(2) Stayton, K.L. (Ed.).2012. Collecting for the Future: A Decade of  Acquisition  Highlights,  New York: Brooklyn Museum.      
EXHIBTIONS:
African Innovations, Double Take: African Innovations, Diverse Works: Director's Choice, 1997-2015, Disguise: Masks and Global African Art
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MUMMIES
(Brooklyn Museum)

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A long-term project involved the  technical examination, treatment, mounting and storage of the Brooklyn Museum's  collection of animal  and human mummies, which also included the  rewrapping of an Ancient Roman human mummy included in the exhibition, The Mummy Chamber and documented in "Rewrapping the Anonymous Man" video,  live tweeting and image uploads.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE INVESTIGATION AND TREATMENT OF THE MUSEUM'S MUMMY COLLECTIONS IN THE
Tales from the Pet Clinic and Brooklyn Museum BLOGS

   

MUMMY MASK
(Plaster, Giza Egypt, Old Kingdom, Brooklyn Museum, 48.183a-d) 

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The four fragments of this rare, Old Kingdom mummy mask were so fragile that it could not be exhibited safely.  A custom fit silicone mount was created to support the fragments so that they could be displayed without using adhesives.  The powdery and flaking surface was consolidated and old discolored adhesive tape (an historic attempt to keep the fragments together) was removed from the backs of the fragments.

READ MORE ABOUE THE MASK AND ITS TREATMENT:
Yekaterina Barbash, "A New Addition from Our Old Collection,"   Brooklyn Museum Blog
SEE THIS OBJECT:
Temples and Tombs, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor, Brooklyn Museum 
EXHIBITIONS:
Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity, Temples and Tombs, Brooklyn Museum
Life & Death in the Pyramid Age: The Emory Old Kingdom Mummy, Michael C. Carlos Museum,  Emory University, Sept.-Dec 2011.

   

MEDIEVAL AQUAMANILIA
(Copper alloy, European, 13th-16th centuries, Metropolitan Museum of Art)

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In preparation for exhibition, several of the these metal animal figure water vessels were cleaned and examined, including investigation into whether they may have orginally been painted.

LEARN MORE ABOUT AQUAMANILIA AND THE TECHNIQUES OF METAL ANALYSIS:
(1) Dandridge, P. 2006. “Exquisite Objects,  Prodigious Technique: Aquamanilia, Vessels of the Medieval Ages,” in Barnet P., and Dandridge, P., Lions, Dragons  and Other Beasts: Aquamanilia of the Middle Ages, Vessels for Church and Table, New Haven: Yale University Press (2006)
(2) Kerith Koss. 2006. Issues of Analytical Analyses in the Provenance of Medieval Aquamanilia: Examples from The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2006. NYU Qualifying Paper.

 

OBJECTS FROM ANCIENT VANI

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A selection of silver objects from the Graves of Ancient Vani in the Republic of Georgia were polished and stabilized for exhibition.  Supervised the installation of various objects, including jewelry and ceramics.

READ MORE ABOUT THE OBJECTS FROM THE EXHIBITION Wine, Worship and Sacrifice:
Kacharava, D., et. al., Wine, Worship, and Sacrifice: the Golden Graves of Ancient Vani, Princeton, NJ: Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, in association with Princeton University Press (2008)