HIPPOMENES BRONZE FIGURINE

O’Sullivan Conservation was engaged to clean and conserve a bronze figurine of Hippomenes on a small marble plinth (along with a matching figurine of Atalanta) by a private collector. The figurine had a noticeable layer of dust, minor corrosion and overpaint, and was slightly misaligned with the plinth. A failing wax coating darkened and dulled the appearance of the marble.

The object was carefully disassembled in the OSC workshop to allow individual cleaning of the components. The wax was removed from the plinth and the few minor losses to the stone were infilled and inpainted. The figurine was brush vacuumed before being cleaned, and it and the attaching bolt and washer had minor spots of corrosion and overpaint mechanically removed. All the pieces were individually waxed and buffed before the object was reassembled. A barrier layer of polyester film was placed between the marble and the iron components during reassembly to prevent future iron staining.

The conserved figurine was returned to the client along with a brief treatment summary.