Theme:
1. Artefacts, Buildings & Ecofacts
Session format:
Regular session
Title:
CANCELLED Monumental Bronzes from Prehistory to Middle Ages: Challenges in Manufacture, Documentation, Analyses and Conservation
Content:
Monumental bronzes deriving from different time periods and regions are united by specific challenges related to their size and weight, especially when it comes to questions about their manufacture, but also concerning their documentation, conservation and analyses.
Their size requests different manufacturing techniques than the production of small bronze objects. Local casting due to their weight, and the involvement of craftsmen of different specialization, are the norm for most of monumental bronzes. Due to the sheer quantity of bronze involved, they already have a significant value, and, consequently, are usually associated with an elite context, or made for an elite demonstrating through the bronze its (financial) power.
Documenting monumental bronzes is particularly challenging through their dimension and the fact that many of them are still positioned in public spaces. May it be image based or with active sensors, environmental conditions make it necessary to apply individual and creative solutions to a complete documentation of the object.
Analyses, may them be invasive or non-invasive, are usually also a difficult task as analyses or sampling have to be carried out on-site, at parts of the object non easily reachable, and often related to a certain health risk of the person involved.
By definition, monumental bronzes usually cannot be transported or moved for studies and conservation, and have to be studied on-site. In addition, monumental bronzes are often exposed to less than favorable environmental conditions.
This goes hand in hand with problems about their adequate protection and conservation, as well as the fact that they often consist of, or are combined with, different materials such as iron and wood, often resulting in even faster degradation processes.
We welcome particularly contributions discussing challenges and solutions in
- documenting on-site monumental bronzes
- analysing with different analytical approaches monumental bronzes
- conservation and restoration of monumental bronzes
Keywords:
monumental bronzes, documentation, analyses, manufacturing tecniques, conservation
Session associated with MERC:
yes
Session associated with CIfA:
no
Session associated with SAfA:
no
Session associated with CAA:
yes
Session associated with DGUF:
no
Session associated with other:
Main organiser:
Marianne Mödlinger (Italy) 1,2
Co-organisers:
Martin Fera (Austria) 3
Serhii Makhortykh (Austria) 2
Judith Utz (Austria) 2
Heike Schlie (Austria) 2
Affiliations:
1. Universitá degli Studi di Genova, Italy
2. IMAREAL, Universität Salzburg, Austria
3. NOVETUS, Austria
THIS SESSION CAN NOT BE SELECTED AT THIS MOMENT