Julieta Herrera Conservation

Introduction

I have been involved in a project at St Mary’s Church in Dover, working with Louise Davidson and a team of conservators. The aim of the project was to conserve all the marble and stone plaques mounted on the church walls. I was in charge of a particular marble plaque, completing its treatment within a week, as well as assisting with minor tasks on other plaques, such as repainting lettering, filling small areas of loss, and toning stonework losses with acrylic paints.

Condition Before Treatment

The memorial marble plaque was covered with a layer of black soiling. The cartouche at the top showed areas of marble sugaring and minor stone losses. Some staining was also visible on the columns and in the lettering area.

Treatment

The marble plaque was dry-cleaned using a brush and a vacuum cleaner. Sponges soaked in a 5% solution of tri-ammonium citrate in deionised water were then used. Laponite poultices were applied to complete the cleaning treatment.