Medici Lion
Despite his dominating presence the Medici Lion had a spread of organic growth across his surface and after being climbed on, plenty of mud and scratches. The conservator used a gentle poultice containing a biocide to gentle treat the lichen and a ammonium carbonate to remove some of the black sulfation that had built up over the years from air born pollutants. Missing mortar has been repointed using an appropriate lime mortar. The statue is made of Portland stone and was created by Joseph Wilton in 1777. This clean will make him stronger for longer!
Drayton Urn
The Drayton Urn is a memorial funerary urn created by Robert Adam in memory of Michael Drayton, a poet who died in 1631, almost 100 years before Robert Adam was born. Over the years the details of urn have softened due to weathering and there are some losses around the softer sandstone base. Much like the lion statue, therehad been a steady spread of lichen and other organic growth across the surface of the statue which needed to be cleaned to prevent further damage to the surface of the stone.