Conservation of Clay Moulds from Guadalajara, Mexico 

This project involved conserving a set of clay moulds from Mexico. They date from the late 18th century.  According to catalogue notes, were used to produce figures for retablos, or votive offerings/ religious charms. The museum requested the old repair be undone, and they be cleaned and readhered. They also requested a mould be taken for producing replicas. The conservation treatments that took place were: 

• Documentation 

• UV photography 

• FTIR analysis to determine aged adhesive 

• Using an enzyme mounted in an agar gel poultice (Trypsin), to remove the aged animal glue 

• Adhering the clay pieces together using Paranoid B72 

• Creating a plaster replica of the moulds to produce figurines for research purposes 

• Repackaging