The new special exhibition “Shimmering Jars of Ore” by the State Collections of Antiquities and Glyptothek Munich, in cooperation with the Bavarian Palace Administration, shows ancient vessels made of bronze and silver in the Pompejanum in Aschaffenburg. Hagen Schaaff, metal conservator at the Staatliche Antikensammlungen und Glyptothek München, gives an insight into his work before the exhibition opens On May 30, the annual special exhibition […]

The new special exhibition “Shimmering Jars of Ore” at the State Collections of Antiquities and Glyptothek in Munich, in cooperation with the Bavarian Palace Administration, is showing ancient vessels made of bronze and silver in the Pompejanum in Aschaffenburg. Hagen Schaaff, metal conservator at the Staatliche Antikensammlungen und Glyptothek München, gives an insight into his work before the exhibition begins

On May 30, the annual special exhibition of the Staatliche Antikensammlung und Glyptothek München opened at the Pompejanum in Aschaffenburg. The show was originally scheduled to be presented at the end of March. So we are all the more delighted that visitors can now visit the “Shimmering Jars of Ore” exhibition. Until the end of October, the special exhibition shows the different functions, the diversity and the timeless design of ancient bronze vessels from the Greco-Roman, Achaemenid and Etruscan cultures from the 8th century B.C. to the 3rd century A.D. It also illustrates how magnificently these ancient metal vessels were designed and the technical mastery with which they were crafted.

When we think of ancient utilitarian vessels, but also the table luxury of the Greeks, Etruscans and Romans, our thoughts first wander to painted clay vases. However, the wealthy society of the time used “shimmering jugs of ore” for religious occasions, elegant banquets and also for fetching water. These often bore figurative decoration, carved or in relief. As early as the late Neolithic period, the early toreuts – craftsmen specializing in metal – worked metal vessels from natural deposits of solid gold, silver or copper. With the invention of bronze, an alloy of copper and tin, a rapid technological development began in the 4th millennium BC: The melting point of the material decreased considerably, but the end product was harder than the two starting materials. The development of bronze as a material probably began in the Near East. In ancient times, gleaming metal vessels made of gold-colored bronze were a sign of prosperity that anyone could achieve. Luxury vessels made of bronze and gold, on the other hand, could only be afforded by a very small elite group. Over time, bronze vessels became coveted prestige objects that were traded over long distances. Greek and Etruscan toreuts supplied the entire Mediterranean region with their products. When the Romans conquered and plundered Greece, ancient Greek bronze vessels were so coveted that even the tombs of the great necropolises were ransacked to meet demand. While the ancient bronzes are covered in a green or brown patina after centuries or millennia of storage in the ground, the ancient toreutens aimed for a fresh, metallic sheen. Accordingly, the pieces were regularly cleaned and freed from signs of ageing during their period of use. The shimmering sheen was an essential part of the effect of such valuable objects.

Today, the antique bronze objects exhibit very different surface conditions. “However, almost all of the vessels on display are currently in a good condition in terms of conservation and restoration, so that only a few measures had to be carried out in the course of preparing for the exhibition, apart from the plinths,” explains Hagen Schaaff, metal conservator at the Staatliche Antikensammlungen und Glyptothek Munich. The reason for the different surface condition is the naturally altered state of preservation of the bronzes due to corrosion. The color images and states of preservation are based on the different copper compounds that have formed after the reaction of the metal with the ambient atmosphere of the respective place of discovery. A distinction is made here between marine finds, soil finds and freely weathered bronzes. The surface appearance of the vessels is also influenced by historical and current restoration and conservation measures. Many of the objects on display in the Pompejanum were cleaned electrolytically and chemically in the 1970s. This process usually results in a bright, scarred metallic surface. However, wet-chemical processes and reduction processes destroy the patina and are almost completely ruled out today due to their uncontrollable use. The annealing of bronzes, which was practiced until the beginning of the 20th century, is also no longer used, as this also destroys surfaces. “Today,” says Hagen Schaaff, “restoration work is generally only carried out mechanically. Not only scalpels and scraping tools are used for this, but also special equipment from dental technology and precision mechanics such as ultrasonic devices and ultra-fine pressure blasting equipment.”

For the special exhibition in the Pompejanum, for example, the antique surface of the individual components of the Greek brozeklylix from around 400 BC was uncovered and the two cast handles and the cast ring base were reattached. Following restoration, the embossed bronze bowl now has a blue-green patina. In antiquity, the body of the bowl was decorated with concentric circles inside and out on the lathe. Ornaments such as a central rosette, tongue patterns and palmettes were engraved by hand on the inside. The unrestored condition of the surface of the Greek statuette of a cow from the end of the 6th century BC is very good. After the restoration for the special exhibition, the surface of the front now appears reddish dark brown. Three handles of a bronze hydria, 2nd half of the 6th century BC, from the collection of James Loeb show a special feature, with attachments in the form of ivy leaves. Mineralized fabric remains are preserved on two of the attachments. These are traces of the fabric in which the water vessel was wrapped for protection. It was probably used as a secondary cinerary urn in a grave.

The special exhibition “Shimmering Jars of Ore” can be seen at the Pompejanum in Aschaffenburg until the end of October.

Read more in the current issue of RESTAURO 6/20.

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