Were there earlier interventions?
A life-size Serapis marble head from the Berlin Collection of Classical Antiquities was restored. The aim of the restoration measures was initially to remove loose marble veneers and to join them using stainless steel dowels and reversible adhesives. The surface was then cleaned, taking into account and preserving the presumably antique paint residues
Thanks to generous support from the Kulturstiftung der Länder as part of the Art in Stock alliance, a marble sculpture from the Berlin Collection of Classical Antiquities was restored in 2015 for the special exhibition “A God – Abraham’s Heirs on the Nile”. The life-size marble head depicts Serapis, an Egyptian-Greek god. What is striking about the very high-quality head is the particularly detailed and imposingly curly head of hair. Acquired in Rome in 1826, the sculpture was most likely taken to the workshop of Christian Daniel Rauch, one of the leading neoclassical sculptors in Prussia, immediately after its arrival in Berlin. The extent of the additions made there is not documented.
The marble engravings and additions included the bust of Hermeneus, the kalathos (basket-shaped attachment), the hair at the back of the head as well as a forelock, the nose and part of the upper lip with moustache. In addition, small eruptions were sculpted with plaster in two places. In addition to the primarily very unstable condition of the head – the added base piece was broken almost in the middle and made an exhibition presentation impossible – the high degree of soiling and the joint pattern were aesthetically completely unsatisfactory. The fitting forms on the head and base (peg- and pan-shaped), which were made with a toothed iron, were additionally secured with an iron dowel. This had become loose. A second small remnant of a dowel stuck in the head was probably originally used as a “counter-dowel” to prevent the head from twisting. However, this was not used again when Rauch worked on it, especially as the bust of Hermen does not have a corresponding dowel hole. This means that there may have been earlier interventions. During the last restoration, the original head was removed with the help of a pulley. First, the iron dowels had to be removed. Removing the large dowel, which was cast with lead on one side and glued with rosin on the other, was a laborious process. Mechanical tools of varying degrees of fineness and solvents were used for this, as well as for cleaning the dowel holes and the broken and glued surfaces. A new force-fit connection was then created between the head and base using a stainless steel dowel and reversible adhesive. As traces of a presumably antique paint finish were found on the head, the necessary surface cleaning was carried out extremely carefully after the marble additions were reattached. Only cotton buds and distilled water were used for cleaning. The reddish-brown remains of the paint are mainly on the left side of the head. In some areas there are layers of sinter directly on top of the paint residue, which must have been created during the earth storage. It can therefore be assumed that the colors already existed before the Serapis head was found. The original paint was probably made with red and brown earth pigments.
Read more about further necessary measures in RESTAURO 4/2018, www.shop.de
About the authors
Dipl.-Rest. Wolfgang Maßmann has worked as a stone conservator at the Collection of Classical Antiquities since 1996 and has been head of the conservation workshops there since 2008.
Dipl.-Rest- Ulrike Maier has been a freelance stone conservator since 2001, working for the Antikensammlung and other institutions of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin on a contract basis.