Conserving The Lost Pleiad September 4, 2008

Helen Ingalls begins the documentation of The Lost Pleiad while Michael Mansfield films the process. The Lost Pleiad, 1874-1875, Randolph Rogers, marble, 49 1/2 x 34 3/4 x 27 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 1996.35

Julie Heath is the Program Coordinator for the Lunder Conservation Center, our open conservation lab. We asked Julie to fill us in on the Lunder's latest project.

The Lost Pleiad, a marble sculpture by Randolph Rogers, took center stage last week on the third floor mezzanine of the Lunder Conservation Center. SAAM Objects Conservators Helen Ingalls and Hugh Shockey will spend the next six to eight weeks examining, documenting, and treating the piece. Treatment will include reattaching broken appendages, filling areas of loss in the marble, and surface cleaning. SAAM staff are filming the examination, documentation, and treatment of the sculpture; a video clip will be made available on the Lunder Objects Lab kiosk and on the Lunder Conservation Center Web site.

If you want to watch the conservation of The Lost Pleiad in person, follow us on Twitter, where we'll provide updates on the latest schedule.

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  Smithsonian American Art Museum