Conservation Science

E8　—　Never polish it

Do not polish. This subject begins with a single prohibition. Why must you not polish it—within that reason lies the entire discipline of conservation.

Supervised by: Mitsuru Hayama　／　Reading time (main text): About 6 min (3,103 characters of text at 500 chars/min; exercises and readings not included)　／　Beyond the text: 6 exercises · 2 coins · 4 readings

What this course teaches you to do

• Can explain "the surface is information" using the three aspects of wear, patina, and accretions.
• In connection with E4, Section 3, can interpret wear as a record of circulation.
• Can cite specific information erased by polishing/cleaning, and can state the principles of conservation (minimal intervention, documentation).
• Can explain the significance and limitations of digital specimens.

Lessons (6)

1. The Surface is Information — A Single Coin as a Recording MediumThe value of the metal remains even if melted. The information on the surface, once lost, can never be recovered.
2. Reading Wear — How a Coin Wears is a RecordEven wear indicates long circulation; uneven wear reveals patterns of use. The nature of the wear tells the story.
3. The Environment as an Enemy — The Quality of RestThe earth preserves for a millennium; a mistake in care can ruin it in a day. Managing the environment is the essence of conservation.
4. Well-Intentioned Destruction — The Sins of Polishing, Cleaning, and RestorationPolishing buffs the metal and erases information. The greatest destroyer in this field was not malice, but good intentions.
5. Principles of Treatment — Minimal, Recorded, and ReversibleTreatment should be minimal, documentation maximal, and if possible, reversible. These three principles were distilled from a history of failures.
6. Digital Specimens — A New Form of ConservationPhotography is a form of preservation that does not erase information. Our school's specimen pages are designed as a specimen room you cannot touch.

Readings (4)

• A biography in a single coin　Overview: 2,700 years of the world　the modern age　Discovery and Provenance
  Sections 1 & 4. The single word "worn" is the starting point of this subject.
• Epilogue　Overview: 2,700 years of the world　the end of the journey　A Promise of 2,700 Years
  Section 2. The memory of a promised journey, inscribed on a single worn coin.
• The island where money vanished　Britain　the 5th century　A provincial town falling into decay
  Section 2. A case study of how wear records the lifespan of a currency area.
• A biography in a single coin　Overview: 2,700 years of the world　a thousand years　Sleep in the Earth
  Section 3. The earth as a repository. The quality of slumber.

Assessment

6 exercises in this course (4 check, 0 compare, 2 written). Progress is recorded by self-assessment.