Mosaic conservation at the Worcester Art Museum

Paula Artal-Isbrand

Abstract

The exhibition Antioch: The Lost Ancient City was planned and organized at the Worcester Art Museum. For the first time since the excavations in the 1930s, this show reunites art objects that were divided among the six participating institutions in Europe and the United States. The core of the finds consisted of magnificent Roman mosaics. This paper will discuss the conservation process and priorities for 15 mosaics that are part of this exhibition. It will include structural work performed on these oversized, yet extremely fragile objects, filling strategies and philosophies, as well as the conservation materials and techniques chosen to prepare these mosaics for travel.

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2001 | Dallas | Volume 8