Ceramic rivet repair: History, technology, and conservation approaches

Abstract

Prior to the development of modern synthetic adhesives, one of the most reliable and widely practised methods of ceramic repair was the use of metal rivets, lacing, and other related metal repairs. This technology was highly specialized and required skills that are no longer widely understood. Research was carried out relating to the history and development of this technique and its connection to present-day conservation ideology. Tools, materials, and processes were investigated through the use of primary texts from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This traditional form of repair is contextualized within current ethical considerations for the preservation of cultural heritage material, including frameworks for the removal of prior repairs, the interpretive value of past interventions, conservation recommendations, and the elusive ideal of reversibility.

Keywords:

• Conservation
• Ceramics
• Conservation history
• Riveting
• Traditional repair
• China mending