Below is the text and X-ray images from a portion of this exhibit.
Well-built objects often appear to be made all in one piece. Examination under ultra-violet light and by X-ray radiography, however, can reveal unexpectedly complex construction. The same non-destructive techniques can also reveal cracks, filled-in areas, and inconsistencies in texture and color that are the hallmarks of repair and restoration.
Bull-snouted jug
Western Asia, 1st millenium BCE
Purchase, Harlan E. Moore Fund, 1976-9-1
This jug was constructed in sections that were joined when the clay was half-dry. The body was thrown on a wheel, but the neck, spout, and handle were built by hand. The shape and surface look typically Phrygian, but the thumb-rest and the strap-support under the spout are unusual. Could they be additions by a restorer?
X-ray of jug 1976-9-1 (Radiography by Richard Keen, Large Animal Hospital, College of Veterinary Medicine)
The X-ray reveals surprising anomalies. The thumb-rest and strap-support appear to be the same material as the spout, but why are the upper and lower parts of the jug so different? The denser material around the rim and lower body needs further investigation.
Animal vessel
Western Iran, 1st millennium BCE(?)
Gift of Harlan E. Moore, 1976-21-1
A thermoluminescence (TL) test conducted in the 1970's estimates that this vase was last fired between 3875 and 2865 years ago. Or was it? Recent examination indicates that instead of being an Urartian "rhyton" (drinking horn), it is a pastiche of ancient and modern parts.
Under both visible and ultra-violet light, the lion-head displays a different texture and color from the rest of the animal. Not only does the lion have no stylistic parallels, but the uneven surface finish suggests substantial restoration. A diamond-shaped patch on the bottom of the vase, including the left proper rear paw, is probably made of tinted plaster.
Was the original animal a lion? Odd features such as the wrapped tail suggest a cow, yet the feet are not bovine. Much about this vase remains a puzzle.
X-ray of Animal vessel 1976-21-1
(Radiography by Richard Keen, Large Animal Hospital, College of
Veterinary Medicine)
In an X-ray, lights and darks are reversed, so that the densest layers of material show up bright white. This side view shows extensive damage to the front of the vase, a thickened profile where material was added, and cracks where the neck was repaired. The inner portion of the lion-head may be original, but material was added to the exterior. Also visible is the hole drilled through the right proper front paw, one of two places sampled for TL dating.
X-ray of Animal vessel 1976-21-1
(Radiography by Richard Keen, Large Animal Hospital, College of
Veterinary Medicine)
This view, taken from the top down, shows additional repairs to the body, along with a dense material (clay or tinted plaster?) around the lion-head. he hole inside the lion-head suggests that the original animal's head was a functioning spout (now blocked). The second opening was used for filling the vessel.