Restoring a Caryatid
After a lengthy three and a half year cleaning project, the Acropolis Museum has completed the restoration of the Caryatids located in Greece.
Over the centuries, a coat of black grime came to mask their beauty. Now conservators have restored them to their original ivory glow, using a specially developed laser technology.
The cleaning project commenced in 2011 by a team of six Greek conservators. They focused on one Caryatid at a time, setting up fabric rooms around each statue. The cleaning of each Caryatid took eight to six months to complete. The cost of this project was low as all restoration work was done in-house and funding was secured from ticket and museum shop sales.
The newly restored Caryatids are back on display in the Acropolis Museum for all visitors to admire!
The Acropolis Museum can add this project to a list of awards and successes since it first opened, thus weakening reunification opposition claims that the Parthenon Sculptures need to remain in the British Museum where they can be looked after properly.
Greeks have not been shy about using the Caryatid restoration to help press their case. While the Caryatids’ restoration is not part of a specific campaign to get the marbles back, the fresh cleaning shows that the museum can support their return, said Dimitris Pantermalis, the president of the Acropolis Museum.
Source: The New York Times
