Chemical Composition: ICP-MS/AAA data from sample, Bronze:
Cu, 86.28; Sn, 13.46; Pb, less than 0.025; Zn, 0.007; Fe, 0.2; Ni, 0.02; Ag, 0.02; Sb, less than 0.02; As, less than 0.10; Bi, less than 0.025; Co, 0.007; Au, less than 0.01; Cd, less than 0.001
J. Riederer
Chemical Composition: XRF data from Artax 1
Alloy: Bronze
Alloying Elements: copper, tin
Other Elements: lead, zinc, iron
K. Eremin, January 2014
Technical Observations: The patina is a mottled black, gray, green, red, beige, and brown. The surface is also concealed in part by what look like burial accretions. The metal surface is rough and uneven from corrosion pitting and is mineralized around the faces, especially the noses. A slightly concave, elongated gouge on one side exposes the bare metal. It has a series of parallel marks that look like file marks or perhaps grinder marks.
The bracelet is heavy, and its hollowed inner surface does not conform to its exterior. In one area of the underside, it has a more deeply hollowed recess, which may be the result of air trapped in the metal during casting. A thickening of metal is present in another area, which could correspond to a cast-in repair. The ends of the bracelet do not join. The decoration, which consists of a series of alternating bands of ridges and human faces, preserves the qualities of a direct lost-wax cast modeled over a core that was triangular in section; the noses especially exhibit the appearance of having been modeled in wax. The faces are all somewhat different. The eyes are indicated by small mounds of wax, some of which have been enhanced by pressing a circular punch to the wax. The bracelet must have been cast in one piece originally, but in its current condition it is a composite of four pieces that have been joined with adhesive materials, which look like resin or plastic. A fine wire is bent into a U-shape on the inside of one of the joins and embedded in the fill, probably to strengthen the join. The three join areas fluoresce green under ultraviolet illumination, but these materials seem to be carelessly painted over with another coating that does not fluoresce.
Francesca G. Bewer (submitted 2011)
