Sandra Joly

Research Project: Assessing Significance: The Conservation of Chinese Deity Figures at the Horniman Museum

During the last two years I have had the opportunity to conserve a wide range of objects from the anthropological and musical instrument collections at the Horniman Museum. The scale of object has ranged from tiny Inuit ivory carvings through to a 20' high Tlingit Indian Totem Pole. The variety of materials has been equally broad, including both organic and inorganic materials. Ethnographic objects, and indeed musical instruments, are often composites, made from more than one material; this has also presented me with interesting and challenging conservation problems.

It is widely acknowledged that objects hold particular meanings and values for different people. What is not so widely known is that an important aspect of the conservator's work is the preservation of these meanings and values. Conservation is thus not only concerned with preserving the physical integrity of objects, it also aims to preserve the values, or put another way, the significance of objects.

How can conservators ensure that they are preserving significance when they work on objects? One approach is to assess the significance of values associated with objects and apply this understanding to making conservation treatment decisions. My research project examined the process of significance assessment, and evaluated its usefulness in relation to the conservation of Chinese deity figures in the Horniman Museum collection.

I would like to thank the Friends of the V&A;, the National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies, and Newby Trust Ltd for their generous financial support.