This article aims to remove patent medicines from the traditional quack/orthodox binary and reconsider them as material objects within sensory networks of production, distribution and consumption. Patent medicines offer a unique perspective on material history by being twice consumed; first through traditional exchange, followed by the private act of ingestion. Recognising both these interpreta...

This paper will discuss the evolution of the treatment for a 1751 French boiserie mirror retaining approximately 30% of its original gilding. In the first phase of the treatment, the mirror had been thoroughly analyzed and documented, tests were undertaken and cleaning and compensation method testing had commenced. This philosophical discussion was presented in a paper in the general session la...

The wall paintings from the main churches of three monasteries in Thessalia, Central Greece, all painted in the post-Byzantine period, were investigated using micro-analytical techniques. The main goal was to offer insights into the decorative technique of mordant gilding and to provide evidence on the identity of the painter. INTRODUCTION In the preparation of wall paintings, specific features...

Chinese painted enamel is an artistic tradition of enamelled copperwares developed during the Kangxi period (1662–1722), commonly referred to as Canton after Wade-Giles spelling Guangzhou. In this study, fragments from areas damage in decorated surface ten objects dating 18th and early 19th century collections Ashmolean Fitzwilliam Museums were non-destructively analysed with ESEM-EDX (Environm...

This article explores issues associated with giving non-human actors a voice of their own in actor-network theory based research. What issues arise in doing so? Does doing so increase understanding of the issue to hand, bring to life and make more accessible and interesting the stories of these actors? Or does this anthropomorphism detract from the issues at hand? The authors discuss these broa...