Conservation
Conservation
- Details
Several fragments of ancient amphorae of the Spatheion type have been found in the waters off the island of Lastovo, at a site close to the island of Prežba. This type of amphora, made of robust, bright red pottery, with spindle-shaped body and small handles, was produced between the 4th and 7th centuries in the territory of today's Tunisia. Due to the fact that these amphorae are very rare in our region, the discovered shards were used in the reconstruction of a single amphora.
- Details
On the site of the post-mediaeval shipwreck in the shallows of Sv. Pavao (St. Paul) near the island of Mljet, among elements of the ship's structure, archaeologists discovered a copper cauldron. The protective cleaning of sea vegetation and sand from the cauldron, followed by desalination and removal of products of calcification and corrosion, were done in the Croatian Conservation Institute. The cauldron's missing elements were reconstructed, and the copper item was patinated to obtain an appearance that would be as natural as possible.
- Details
The Ohmučević Family Tree
The "great forgery" of the Ohmučević Family Tree, dating from the 16th c., which, according to some historians, marks the beginning of Illyrian heraldry, has been conserved in the Croatian Conservation Institute. The document was written on a sheet of paper which was attached – rather significantly – to the back of a 15th c. painting by Lovro Dobričević, depicting the Bosnian king in the persona of a donor. When received by our workshop, the condition of the Family Tree was very poor. Demanding conservation procedures have been used to separate the document from the wooden base of the painting, and then restore and protect it.
- Details
The overall conservation and presentation of the Peristyle is one of the largest conservation programmes in Croatia. The project, initiated in 2003, with completion planned for 2012, has been divided into several phases encompassing all segments of the restoration of the most important element of the historical centre of Split, ranging from rehabilitation of the foundations and the structure, and the cleaning and conservation of stone, plaster and other materials, to the final presentation of this multi-layered monument. In addition to the conservation itself and the new insights gained by the researchers and the general public, the project is also significant because of the practical application of a new, scientific approach to conservation. Thus, Croatia has joined the latest trends in the conservation of stone.