Private collection

Ivory, brass, forged steel, semi-precious stones, wood

Restoration: Balinese Sword (Kris): a Balinese Sword (Kris) ceremonial weapon composed of a carved ivory axe head, a scabbard and sword handle of repoussé brass and semi-precious stones and a forged steel blade, came to us after having been in a flooded basement for over a decade where it had been wrapped in red tissue paper which the flood water had dissolved, causing the the red dye to penetrate the ivory. The tooled steel blade was heavily rusted, the brass was corroded and the other materials were in states of advanced deterioration.

We succeeded in removing the stubborn stain from the ivory, and the corrosion from the iron and brass. Then we stabilized all the parts with resins.