Museum of Ethnology presents PENACHO: pomp and passion, an exhibition on view from from 15 November 2012.
Feather head-dress Mexico, Aztec, early 16th century Quetzal, Cotinga, roseate spoonbill, Piaya feathers; wood, fibres, Amate paper, cotton, gold, gilded brass © KHM mit MVK und ÖTM
The early Mexican feather head-dress is one of the most fragile objects in the Museum of Ethnology, posing myriad problems for conservators. 2010-2012 an Austrian-Mexican commission of experts studied and analyzed its historical importance and present condition as part of a project organized by the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) in Mexico and the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien. The results of this internationally noted and innovative bilateral research and conservation project will be presented in a comprehensive publication. The project focused on anthropological, historical, iconographic and conservation questions. Materials, technique and older restorations of the feather head-dress were analyzed.
Its present flat appearance dates back to the restoration carried out in 1878 that had erroneously identified the feather head-dress as a standard. This resulted in the object’s loss of the three-dimensional shape it had had as a head-dress. At the time over 370 new small metal plates, feathers and skins of kingfishers were incorporated. The feather head-dress comprises a wealth of different materials: organic ones such as feathers, plant fibres, wood, leather, paper and textiles, but also non-organic materials such as gold and gilded brass. The friction and abrasions caused by these materials and the artifact’s age have compromised its state of preservation and complicated its conservation. The aging process of the organic materials has resulted in irreparable, brittle and fragile areas. Although the object has been stabilized with careful interventions and preventive conservation measures its original condition cannot be recreated. However, after careful cleaning and various conservation measures the feather head-dress can now be put on public display again after an absence of many years.
Exhibition curator: Gerard van Bussel
Exhibition design: Architekt Krischanitz ZT GmbH
Museum of Ethnology 1010 Vienna, Heldenplatz
www.khm.at