For students who have been introduced to looking at art, the topic of art conservation can deepen their understanding of art objects and stimulate interest in the role of art in human history. The questions and background information provided below (and in Eyes on Art III) will help prepare students for a museum visit that encourages them to look closely at a work of art and to think deeply about how its physical condition and cultural role have changed over time.

Discovery Questions
These questions may be used to spark discussion in the classroom before or after a Museum visit. They are open-ended questions with no one right or wrong answer.

• Have students discuss why old objects and works of art are often valued today. Are they valued for the same reasons that they were originally valued? Why or why not? To back up their ideas, students can draw from their own experience and/or refer to what they have learned about the four objects in the Eyes on Art III guide.

• We all make decisions every day about whether or not to preserve something—by deciding what to keep and what to throw away. How do those decisions reflect our personal values? What we keep and what we throw away as a society reflects our broader, cultural values. Have students discuss how these decisions affect our future.

Background Information
• How and why was this object made?
One of the most prominent works in the Museum’s collection is the section of ancient Roman floor that sits in the middle of the courtyard. Called a mosaic because it is made up of very small pieces of marble, glass, and other stone tiles (called tesserae), its center features the image of Medusa, the Gorgon sister with snakes for hair, who could turn to stone anyone who looked at her. Mosaics of this date were usually made by setting the tesserae in mortar or sand over a stone, gravel, or brick surface.

Medusa is surrounded by a tesserae ribbon, outside of which sit four birds encircled by vines. The story of Medusa is an old one dating back at least to the time of ancient Greece. During this time, artists used the image of Medusa on vases, temples and other buildings, and sculpture. Despite her fearsome powers, her image was often used by ancient Greeks as a creature capable of scaring away evil spirits. Later, as represented here, ancient Romans used Medusa’s image in a similar way. The four birds in the mosaic represent the four seasons--a reflection of the popular interest at that time in the changing of seasons and the cycles of life.

This mosaic was created for the bathing complex of a private villa in Montebello, a small town north of Rome. In the homes of most of the Roman population, the floors would have been made of earth. In contrast, the wealthy Romans who owned large villas could afford to commission elaborate mosaics to decorate the floors of both their private and public buildings.

• How and why did this end up at the Gardner Museum?
Isabella Gardner purchased this mosaic from a Roman antiquities dealer, Pio Marinangeli, in 1897, just five years after it was discovered in March of 1892. During its excavation, the mosaic was cut into twenty-six pieces in order to transport it. When visiting the museum you can see the regular, vertical and horizontal cut lines running through the floor and observe first hand their disturbing effects. Needless to say, this crude method of excavation would not likely be done today. By placing the mosaic pavement on the floor of the courtyard, Gardner remained true to its intended use, though it is unclear whether she or her friends actually walked on it. While Isabella Gardner placed the mosaic in the courtyard for reasons perhaps known only to her, given what we know of the mosaic's history, it is fun to try to guess what the reasons may have been.

• How has this object changed?
In addition to the cuts the mosaic endured when it was excavated, its installation in the Museum on a setting bed of lime mortar, over a cement slab, did not allow for proper drainage or ventilation. Acids from the courtyard soil around the mosaic caused the mortar of the setting bed to become weak and loose. Poor drainage increased the threat of water coming in contact with the mosaic. As a result, both the marble and the glass tesserae were damaged from the moisture. On the surface of the mosaic, the dirt and grime that built up left many of the marble tesserae discolored and stained from exposure to iron and organic compounds in the dirt.

On an architectural note, the mosaic, along with the entire courtyard, began to sink almost immediately after the Museum opened in 1903. The building was built on a swampy area of peat and clay. While large wooden pilings were driven through the peat and clay to solid footing to support the building, none was driven to support the courtyard. By the date of the first major conservation treatment (1961), the mosaic and courtyard had sunk nearly one meter!


• How has this object been conserved?
In 1961, extensive conservation treatment was done to help stabilize the floor and prevent its further deterioration. First, the mosaic’s twenty-six sections had to be removed from the courtyard, disturbing the tiles as little as possible. Each section, numbered to designate position, was faced with fabric and a glue adhesive to hold the tesserae in place. The sections were then carefully separated and removed. Working on the back side of each, the old setting bed was picked and scraped away from the tiles. Once cleaned, a new setting bed was applied to the back of each section. A primer made of water-resistant epoxy resin was applied first, followed by layers of fill and aluminum screen (see diagram). Once the new setting bed was in place, the fabric and glue were removed from the front surface and the faces of the tesserae were cleaned.

While the mosaic was being treated, a new foundation was placed in the courtyard to support it. On top of the foundation was built a new slab of steel-reinforced cement, and it was on top of this that the mosaic was relaid, section by section, in the Museum courtyard. Thus, this complex conservation treatment provided sufficient drainage and ventilation to prevent harmful chemicals from coming in contact with the marble and glass tesserae and strong foundational support to prevent it from sinking further.

This mosaic is a good example of the challenges a Gardner Museum conservator faces. Isabella Gardner’s intention was not to preserve objects in a sterile environment, but to present them in a dynamic way--one that would invite us to admire their beauty and lure us into a search for their meaning.