Restoration of a wooden pare

For Māori, taonga are precious as the living embodiment of tūpuna or ancestors, and they need to be handled respectfully. This means that not only are there many scientific elements involved in the conservation and restoration of taonga, but the spiritual element and tikanga are of vital importance as well.

Pare 5168, a carved door lintel from Maketu in the Bay of Plenty, was badly damaged in a storeroom accident at the Auckland War Memorial Museum. How the pare was damaged was unknown, but for staff at the museum, including curator Chanel Clarke from the Māori Department, appropriate restoration of this precious taonga was important.

The process

Museum conservation involves the intersection of science, history and culture. This is because museums have many objects that require specialised work and knowledge in order to conserve and maintain them – and sometimes to repair damage. Each object demands a unique set of experts.

Chanel assembled a working group that included specialist advisor Bernard Makore, conservator Heika Winkelbauer and intern Alexander Lencz who had a particular interest in wooden objects. Bernard Makore, a member of Taumata-ā-Iwi, a committee that represents the interests of Māori, was able to assure tikanga (protocols) were observed. Bernard, a carver, was able to enlist the help of master carver Lyonel Grant of Te Arawa.

The work began with a careful observation of the broken parts of the pare. This observation was to determine what the next steps would be in the process to restore the pare to its former glory. After determining the wood was totara, chemical analysis was used to identify the original glues and paints. Identifying these was important to ensure that chemical solutions used to remove old glue and then new glues used in the conservation would not further damage the pare. Microscopy was used to identify the layers of paint.

Observation in science

Rights: The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato

Assessing harakeke at Dunedin Botanic Garden

Dr Bronwyn Lowe assesses one of the plants in the harakeke collection at the Dunedin Botanic Garden. The collection was gifted to the Garden over 100 years ago and is a taonga for the Kāi Tahu iwi.

Observation is an important tool in science. Auckland Museum conservator Heika Winkelbauer says, “Before you even think about any treatment or conservation, you have a very close look at the artefact, you examine it, you look at markings, tool markings, you look at the damage.”

Learn more about observation in science.

In this activity, students discuss the importance of observation in science.

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Working on pare 5168

Conservator Alexander Lencz prepares a sample of the glue from pare 5168 for chemical analysis.

After determining and removing the original glue, a synthetic resin was selected for reassembling the shattered pare. An important property of this glue is that it is easy to reverse – the pare was broken into many small pieces and would need a process of trial and error to reassemble.

A small machine was made to measure the pressure that the new bonding – the resin glue – could withstand. It was important to test the strength of the new glue to ensure the reassembled pare would be permanent.

Scientific analysis

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Paint layers

Microscopy was used to analyse and reveal details about the science and history of pare 5168.

Conservators Heike and Alex also used microscopy to analyse the layers of paint on the pare.

Alex used a variety of stains to test the chemical composition of the original glue on the carving. For example, copper sulfate and sodium hydroxide allowed him to determine the presence of proteins, which suggested the glue had animal origins.

Microscopy and stains are used in many areas of science. Discover how stains and microscopes are used with biological samples to distinguish between parts of a sample and to determine different components.

Solution

It was an emotional thing to see the degree of restoration and also the care that the conservators took in the process, and the results mean a great deal for the new museum practice, the linking of modern technology and ancient lived mātauranga Māori.

Bernard Makoare

The work of museum conservators and Māori experts ensured that the precious taonga pare 5168 was restored with respectful handling and adherence to tikanga. Further, the restoration work by conservators and Māori master carver Lyonel Grant provided new clues about the background of the pare. For example, the animal-based glue was able to narrow the date of the carving to the second half of the 19th century, and the early carvers may have used a primer in the painting of the wood.

C-14 carbon dating process

Historical artefacts like moa bones can be dated using a technique that measures the activity of the radioisotope carbon-14 still present in the sample. By comparing this with a modern standard, an estimate of the calendar age of the artefact can be made.

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Rights: © Scottie Productions 2016.

Scottie Productions

Scottie Productions is an independent production company established in 2005 by owner and director Megan Douglas.