For my diploma, I undertook a conservation-restoration of the stone statue named The Hens by France Kralj. First, I examined the current condition of the statue. The Hens were in a quite good condition. Next, I figured out that my mission will be mostly cleaning the statue. As the decades passed by, many different impurities stuck to the »skin« of the statue and they completely changed both the appearance and the colour of The Hens.
Before I started any procedure on the actual work of art, I had carefully studied all the intended procedures. I was interested in three different fields, that are represented in three chapters, which also divide my diploma. I was especially interested in the stone carving technology. In the chapter that discusses it, I researched the physical properties of different stones, carving tools that suit them as well as different carving techniques.
Based on what I have learned, I made some conclusions on how The Hens statue was made. Moreover, I researched how different environmental factors accelerate the ageing and thus the ruining of stone statues. Taking everything into account, I made an extensive inventory of the condition of the statue and noted down which climatic factors are responsible for it.
In the third and larger chapter of my diploma, I researched various distinct cleaning techniques and the advantages and the disadvantages that they bring along with them. At the end of this chapter, I list the cleaning methods and the reason why I have chosen them. I conclude by depicting the way I executed the mentioned methods and by explaining the outcome.
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