Analysis and Conservation of a Wooden Figurine
Recovered from Xmuqlebal Xheton Cave in Southern Belize, C.A.

Conservation and Analysis of the Figurine

The object was removed from the cave in late May 1999, and transported to the United States for analysis and conservation. Prior to this, while still in the cave, the artifact was photographed and carefully wrapped in layered Gortex^®, Teflon^®, and Reemay^® fabrics. These no-stick materials allowed the object to be secured and prevented fragments from detaching while reducing any unnecessary abrading. A mold was constructed of acid free Ethafoam^TM to support the object and it was placed into a sealed plastic container. With the aid of the 25 Flight of the British Army Air Corps the artifact was helicopter airlifted out of the Maya Mountains in preparation for its export to the United States. The box was opened once in the presence of staff of the Belize Department of Archaeology (DOA), resealed, and flown to Southern Illinois University. From there it was hand carried to the Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education (SCMRE) for analysis, arriving there in June 1999.

Immediately upon removal from its primary cave context and the environmental conditions that had facilitated its preservation the artifact began to rapidly degrade. When the box was opened in Belmopan for a DOA inspection it was observed that large cracks were appearing in the midsection of the object. By the time it arrived in Washington DC these cracks had expanded to become a fracture, leaving the artifact in two pieces. At SCMRE the object was allowed to slowly adjust to a stable environment before conservation and analysis began.

With coordination between the SCMRE staff, the MMAP, and the Belize Department of Archaeology a treatment plan was developed to restore and analyze the artifact and to prepare it for eventual return to Belize. Monica Shaw, a SCMRE intern and doctoral student at the University of Maryland, conducted treatments and analyses under the supervision of senior scientist Harriet Beaubien and other SCMRE staff members. Analysis was completed in the fall of 2000. In November, the artifact was removed from the SCMRE and hand carried back to Belize for permanent curation and display as part of the national collection of Maya antiquities.

The results of the analyses conducted are summarized below and are presented in detail in Appendix I, the final report of the SCMRE analysis of the artifact. This information is also available directly from the author by request.

Conservation of the Figurine (adapted from Shaw 2000)

The figurine is cylindrical measuring 28.1 cm in length x 2.9 cm in width and 3.3 cm in depth. The head and torso are carved in low relief. When the object arrived at SCMRE its condition was described as friable with substantial damage due to insect and fungal attacks. The wood surface appears to have been weathered. Some of the wear appears to be old, possibly use wear from the Late Classic period.

The surface of the object was cleaned using a water-dampened scalpel blade prior to chemical treatment. The object was consolidated by impregnation with Butvar B-98^® diluted with ethanol. The solution was applied dropwise using a syringe over a period of days and was also injected into cracks, insect exit holes, and break edges. When the impregnation was complete the object was slowly dried over a period of two weeks and the object’s weight change monitored to insure complete evaporation of the solvent. The break in the figurine was mended using 30% (w/v) Acryloid B-72^® in acetone.

Analyses of the Figurine (adapted from Shaw 2000)

Three types of analyses of the artifact were conducted: radiography to assess its internal structure and condition, wood identification, and pigment analysis of the artifact surface. The artifact was also carbon dated, as discussed in the preceding section of this report. Detailed results of the analyses are presented in Appendix I, and are summarized here.

Xeroradiography was conducted using a Philips MG X-radiography unit with a 300 kV double focus tube. Images were recorded for the front, PL, and PR sides of the figurine. They were used to assess internal structure of the artifact based on the extent of cracks and insect tunnels in the wood interior. It was determined that the artifact was badly damaged by both fungal and insect attacks. The results of this analysis guided the conservation efforts described above.

Monica Shaw performed wood identification under the supervision of SCMRE staff microscopist H. Alden. Wood thin sections were taken from one of the exposed breaks on the back of the figurine. Microscopic examination of these fragments resulted in a preliminary identification of the wood as belonging to the family Cedrela (Spanish Cedar) though there was not enough anatomical data to identify the species.

Visual examination of the object indicated that there were remnants of brown-black and red surface treatments on the artifact. These surface treatments likely contain both a pigment (colorant) and a medium. The analysis consisted on examination of the surface treatments using polarized light microscopy (PLM), microchemical tests, energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).

Analysis of the red surface treatment indicated that the colorant is an earth pigment, suggesting either hematite or vermillion. Hematite is found in abundant quantities in the Maya Mountains. The medium in the red surface treatment contains a proteinaceous component, possibly suggesting an animal product.

The colorant in the black-brown surface treatment tested negative for iron. It is likely a composite mixture possibly containing charcoal black, earth pigments, and possibly bone black. The medium tested positive for both proteinaceous and carbohydrate components.

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