THE CONSERVATION OF A PRESERVED HUMAN HEAD

Abstract

Large ethnographical collections sometimes contain examples of preserved human heads. There are those from the Maori of New Zealand, the well-known Jivaro Indian shrunken heads, and others from Papua-New Guinea. The article describes the preservation process as practised in Western Papua by the tribal craftsman, and then the problems of conservation in the museum laboratory. The latter include the cleaning of the skin, and the painted areas of the face, with the non-ionic surface-active agent Lissapol N in distilled water, followed by consolidation of the painted surface with an application of 2 % soluble nylon in industrial methylated spirit. Clay and fibre within the head were consolidated with a 5 % solution of the polymethacrylic ester Bedacryl 122X (I.C.I.) in xylene; and the fibre ear ornaments, after cleaning with Lissapol N, were consolidated with a 5 % solution of soluble nylon in industrial methylated spirit. The specimen was fitted with a specially made polythene cover, and stored in an individual box.

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