Impact of Past Conservation Treatments in Archaeological Collections

The project focuses on two interconnected areas: assessing environmental conditions and documenting the condition of previously treated archaeological objects. By combining environmental monitoring with object documentation and characterization, the project seeks to understand the short- and long-term impacts of conservation treatments.

A key component of the project is examining how conservation methods have evolved and how past practices continue to shape the need for conservation, collection care and management today. This research combines the study of historical documentation and literature, scientific analysis, and experimental approaches to better understand the legacy of earlier treatments and their long-term effects.

The project will develop practical strategies that museums and institutions with archaeological collections can use to identify, monitor, and reduce risks associated with past conservation treatments, including:

• use of documentation and characterization of materials to identify trends and evaluate the impact of past and current conservation treatments, to improve clarity, traceability, and long‑term usability of records in conservation decisions.
• establishment of approaches for studying past treatments, including criteria for what data should be collected, how it should be analyzed, and how this information can support the interpretation of treatment effects over time.
• development of informed preventive conservation strategies for archaeological collections, supported by resources, scientific evidence and tools that enable us to identify, assess, and mitigate risks associated with historic treatments and collections environment more effectively

• Conduct a comprehensive review of conservation documentation, analytical data and literature review for past treatments of selected objects, covering object-level information and the evolution of treatment documentation practices in different case studies, starting with Getty Villa.
• Design, execute, and evaluate non-invasive approaches to understand the conservation status of selected objects and their exhibition and storage environments, including temperature, relative humidity, and air pollutants
• Identify and interpret current pathologies plausibly associated with undocumented past treatments and/or previously observed environmental conditions, creating decision maps/trees for material-specific diagnosis
• Develop and disseminate an interactive and accessible set of resources for practitioners and researchers based on the results of the project

Getty Graduate Intern: Sarah Randle, Conservation Institute (2025–2026)