They are representative of many different cultures and have served utilitarian, ceremonial or decorative purposes. Objects treated by our team come from almost all of the museum’s collections: terracotta pieces from the Ancient Greek, glazed ceramics from the Byzantine, Neo-Hellenic and Islamic collections and chinese porcelains comprise an exceptionally varied group of unique objects in need of meticulous care. Members of our staff also handle porcelain dolls and ceramic toys from the Toys Collection and artifacts belonging to the Department of World Cultures.

Modern objects, belonging to heritage organisations, institutions and collectors are also often brought in for treatment, as part of our conservation consultancy programme.

The museums ceramics cover a wide range of sub materials, from low fired terracotta’s and glazed earthenware to faience and high fired porcelains; they may be plain or decorated with a variety of techniques. Their treatment requires not only good knowledge of the constituents and manufacture of each piece, but also the in depth understanding of the damages and their mechanisms as well as a comprehensive assessment of their state of preservation.

Cleaning, which as a rule is the first step of each treatment, may involve anything, from desalinization to the implementation of mechanical and chemical cleaning procedures. When handling objects that have been conserved in the past, the removal of old conservation materials is often considered necessary and may lead to the dismantling of the object. Delicate and unstable matter is stabilized and the ceramic is reconstructed. Restoration, which is the final stage of each treatment, is carried out using current conservation techniques and materials and usually includes the filling in of gaps or missing parts and retouching.

Contact

3, Koumbari St, Athens, 106 74
Tel: +30 210 3612430, +30 210 3626215
Fax: +30 210 7258589