Antiquities Conservation

Conservators at the Getty Villa Museum are responsible for the preservation, treatment, and technical research of all material types in the antiquities collection. The department’s work also involves preventive care of its collection, encompassing climate control, environmental monitoring and mount making, and oversight of exhibition installations and outgoing loans. Getty conservators conduct in-depth technological studies and material research of objects—from within the collection and on special loan—to gain insight into their specific history, including methods of manufacture, use, deterioration and/or alterations and to determine how these affect their treatment, preservation, and display. The department plays a leading international role in the development, manufacture, and evaluation of approaches and fixtures for the protection of delicate and monumental objects on display in the event of earthquakes, known as seismic damage mitigation. Committed to conservation training, the department hosts interns through the Getty internship program, and supports the UCLA/Getty Interdepartmental Program in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage.

PARTNERSHIPS

three tiers of ancient vases on display
Assemblage of 13 funerary vessels found at Ceglie del Campo, near Bari in Apulia, Italy. Exhibition view from Dangerous Perfection: Funerary Vases from Southern Italy, organized by the J. Paul Getty Museum in collaboration with the Antikensammlung, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.

The department regularly collaborates with national and international institutions on projects that involve the technical study, evaluation of historic repairs, and conservation of ancient works of art. These partnerships aim at improving the understanding and state of preservation of an object or a group of objects, often contributing to exhibitions, and assist in local conservation training. Information gained through the department’s various activities is regularly shared through lectures, seminars, symposia, and publications.

Examples of major projects over the last decades cover objects of a variety of media and scale: a monumental Roman marble statue of a god, Skulpturensammlung, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Germany (Dresden State Art Collections); four bronze lamps from Vani, Georgian National Museum, Tbilisi, Georgia; Apulian vases, Antikensammlung, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Germany; three large-scale Roman bronzes and a monumental ceramic funerary krater from National Archaeological Museum Naples, Italy; Roman silver treasure from Berthouville, Bibliothèque nationale de France; and technical study of the Mensa Isiaca, Museo Egizio Turin, Italy. Current active projects include a bronze horse and rider statuette with the Albanian Institute of Archaeology in Tirana, Albania; a large-scale clay head of Buddha from Merv at the State Museum of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan; and an ongoing collaboration with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston on musical wind instruments known as the “Auloi from Meroë,” excavated from Sudan.

PROJECTS & INITIATIVES

Mummy portrait painting of a young woman

The APPEAR Project
A collaborative exploration of ancient panel-painting production that facilitates international scholarly exchange

A bronze statue of a reclining satyr in a large conservation studio

Drunken Satyr Conservation
The study, analysis, and treatment of a rare first-century Roman bronze buried in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, recovered after millennia of burial and restored in the 18th century

Hands holding up a digital scanner to a small bronze statue of a man

Conservation and Mountmaking: 3-D Scanning
Conservation departments at the Getty Museum use 3-D technologies to aid in mountmaking, research, and restoration

Digital animation still of marble statue feet standing on a mount divided into separate planes

Conservation and Mountmaking: Seismic Mountmaking
Research and design of methods to protect artworks in areas with active earthquakes

PUBLICATIONS

Cover of a publication featuring a necklace with gems

Looking at Jewelry: A Guide to Terms, Styles, and Techniques

Containing more than eighty color illustrations, this guide will be invaluable to all those wishing to increase their understanding and enjoyment of the art of jewelry.

Browse more titles

VIDEOS

Uncovering an Ancient Bronze Statuette from Albania

Watch more Antiquities Conservation videos

NEWS & STORIES

A red gem with a nude woman and gold band

What Happens to Art When the Weather Gets Hot?

With heat waves becoming more common, you might wonder: what would happen if works of art were exposed to those harsh conditions?

Read more posts about ancient life

RESOURCES

Bibliography

Publications by Antiquities Conservation Staff
Download Bibliography (PDF, 384 KB)

CAMEO Materials Database

The materials database from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston's Conservation and Art Materials Encyclopedia Online contains chemical, physical, visual, and analytical information on over 10,000 historic and contemporary materials.

American Institute for Conservation

The American Institute for Conservation (AIC) is the national membership association for conservators and allied professionals who preserve art and cultural heritage. Together with the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation, they promote the preservation and protection of cultural heritage and serve as a resource on conservation for the general public.

CAST:ING

The CAST:ING project is a framework to advance the understanding of bronze sculpture through contributions from an international team composed of 52 conservators, scientists, curators, art historians, historians, archaeologists, metallurgists, and craftspeople.

CONFERENCES

Roundtable announcement featuring a technical image of a female marble statue in neon colors

  • The 12th International Round Table on Polychromy in Ancient Sculpture and Architecture will be held at the Getty Center and Getty Villa from November 18-21, 2024.

  • On 17 and 18 July 2023, the Museo Egizio, Turin, hosted an International Symposium dedicated to the Mensa Isiaca, one of the most important objects in the Museum's collection. From technical analyses to new interpretations, the two-day event was organized by Museo Egizio, the J. Paul Getty Museum, and the Getty Conservation Institute.

    The lectures were recorded and are available on Getty's YouTube channel.

    Click here to see recently published research on the Mensa Isiaca by Getty conservators and scientists.

  • 8th International Mountmakers Forum, November 8-10, 2022, Getty Center, Los Angeles

  • GOOGLE ARTS & CULTURE

    Panel painting of the mummy Herakleides
    Mummy of Herakleides, A.D. 120–140, Romano-Egyptian. Human and bird remains; linen, pigment, beeswax and wood., 69 × 17 5/16 × 13 in. Getty Museum, 91.AP.6

    Investigating Herakleides: A Portrait Mummy from Roman Egypt
    This mummy of a young man reflects the diverse cultural influences and extensive international trade connections in Egypt under the Roman Empire through its iconography, materials, and burial techniques.

    Faces of Roman Egypt
    A group of remarkably lifelike mummy portraits from the first through third centuries AD bring us face to face with the people who lived in Egypt under the Roman Empire.

    Muses in the Lab: Conserving a Roman Sarcophagus
    Follow our conservation team into the lab as they prepare a fragmentary Roman sarcophagus featuring three Muses and the deceased for the Getty Villa Museum’s galleries.

    CURRENTFUTURE EXHIBITIONS

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    CONSERVATION STAFF

    Susanne Gänsicke

    Sr. Conservator/Head of Antiquities Conservation

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    Jessica Arista

    Associate Conservator

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    Erik Risser

    Conservator

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    Timothy Skornia

    Senior Mountmaker

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    Marie Svoboda

    Conservator

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    Susanne Gänsicke

    Senior Conservator/Head of Antiquities Conservation

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    Jessica Arista

    Assosciate Conservator

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    Erik Risser

    Conservator

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    Timothy Skornia

    Senior Mountmaker

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    Marie Svoboda

    Conservator

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    OPPORTUNITIES