Difference between revisions of "File:Nigel Larkin SPNHC 2022.jpg"

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({| class="wikitable" |+ SPNHC 2022 Edinburgh Poster: '''‘The Art of Observation of things’: Agostino Scilla’s (1629-1700) fossil shark-toothed dolphin (Squalodon melitensis) jaw from the Woodwardian Collection at the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Scie...)
 
 
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|+ SPNHC 2022 Edinburgh Poster: '''‘The Art of Observation of things’: Agostino Scilla’s (1629-1700) fossil shark-toothed dolphin (Squalodon melitensis) jaw from the Woodwardian Collection at the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge'''  
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|+ SPNHC 2022 Edinburgh Poster: '''State of the Arch: The recent removal, conservation, 3D scanning and reinstatement of the large 135-year-old ‘double’ whalebone arch located in The Meadows in Edinburgh, UK'''  
  
 
! Author
 
! Author
 
! Affiliation
 
! Affiliation
 
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! Dan Pemberton
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! Nigel Larkin
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| Sedgwick Museum Of Earth Sciences, University Of Cambridge
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| School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading
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! Steven Dey
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| School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading
 
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'''Abstract:''' In 1670 Renaissance artist Agostino Scilla published an illustrated book concerning the nature of fossils. La vana speculazione disingannata dal senso (Vain Speculation Undeceived by Sense), is widely accepted as being the first accurately illustrated book arguing an organic origin for fossils.
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'''Abstract:''' Edinburgh’s famous double whalebone arch comprising four huge bones made from the lower jaws of two very large baleen whales originally formed part of a stand manned by the Shetland and Fair Isle Knitters at the International Exhibition of Science and Art which took place in Edinburgh in 1886. The knitters gifted the arch to the city after the exhibition and it became a well-loved local landmark in ‘Jawbone Walk’, one of the entrances to the park known as The Meadows. However, after withstanding the Scottish weather for over 130 years without protection but with occasional repairs, they had deteriorated to the point that they were no longer considered safe to walk under. Large areas of bone had rotted away or fallen out, as had some old repairs. The four bones – all about 6 meters long and weighing around a quarter of a ton each - were carefully removed and allowed to dry out, and then were assessed, cleaned, consolidated and repaired with a bespoke lime mortar (including NHL2 lime that would ensure the fills were breathable and relatively flexible). After conservation work was complete each bone was 3D scanned in detail before being given protective coats of casein-infused limewash. The scaled 3D digital models of the bones were particularly useful for designing the new supportive metal armature that will hold the bones securely in place when they are reinstalled. Just as importantly, the digital 3D models will be useful for conservators in the future to asses the degree of degradation of the bones from weathering compared to the point in time when the scans were undertaken, after the conservation work was completed. In due course, these scans could even allow the bones to be replaced with identical replicas to save the original specimens, either by 3D printing them in a suitable medium, or by being cast in bronze. The conservation work had to take into consideration the large volumes of bone loss, how different materials would respond differently to constantly fluctuating environmental conditions and how the bones would be moved and handled, considering their large size and weight.
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During the late 17th and early 18th century, the question whether fossils were the remains of living organisms or were ‘Jokes of Nature’ spontaneously generated within the ground, was a matter of debate. Scilla, previously interested in the study of ancient ‘medals’, mostly Roman coins, switched his interest to fossils. Through observation, experimentation and dissection, he came to the conclusion that fossils were the remains of living organisms.
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Scilla illustrated his book with carefully selected specimens that supported his arguments. One of these is a piece of rock from Malta containing a fragment of jaw-bone with three teeth. He used this to counter the argument that the fossil shark teeth, or ‘tongue stones’ of Malta, were produced through a process of spontaneous generation. His dissection of shark jaws demonstrated that the teeth are embedded in connective tissue that would decay and release them after death, increasing their chances of dispersal. This specimen clearly showed a piece of jaw from an animal whose teeth had roots embedded in sockets within the jaw-bone. The isolated occurrence of shark teeth as fossils was therefore a matter of dispersal rather than spontaneous generation.
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In 1717 English physician Dr John Woodward (1665-1728) bought Scilla’s collection and the drawings he had made for his book. The collection comprises about 300 shells and bones of modern and fossil sea creatures. Dr Woodward’s collection was acquired by the University of Cambridge after his death in 1728. It is rare for a collection from this period to remain intact, particularly one that can be associated with a figured publication. Specimens such as this are important for those interested in the history and philosophy of science, or the intersection between material and visual culture in the early modern period. Early illustrations such as this also have practical use in contributing to the condition history of an object
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Latest revision as of 17:17, 18 May 2023

SPNHC 2022 Edinburgh Poster: State of the Arch: The recent removal, conservation, 3D scanning and reinstatement of the large 135-year-old ‘double’ whalebone arch located in The Meadows in Edinburgh, UK
Author Affiliation
Nigel Larkin School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading
Steven Dey School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading

Abstract: Edinburgh’s famous double whalebone arch comprising four huge bones made from the lower jaws of two very large baleen whales originally formed part of a stand manned by the Shetland and Fair Isle Knitters at the International Exhibition of Science and Art which took place in Edinburgh in 1886. The knitters gifted the arch to the city after the exhibition and it became a well-loved local landmark in ‘Jawbone Walk’, one of the entrances to the park known as The Meadows. However, after withstanding the Scottish weather for over 130 years without protection but with occasional repairs, they had deteriorated to the point that they were no longer considered safe to walk under. Large areas of bone had rotted away or fallen out, as had some old repairs. The four bones – all about 6 meters long and weighing around a quarter of a ton each - were carefully removed and allowed to dry out, and then were assessed, cleaned, consolidated and repaired with a bespoke lime mortar (including NHL2 lime that would ensure the fills were breathable and relatively flexible). After conservation work was complete each bone was 3D scanned in detail before being given protective coats of casein-infused limewash. The scaled 3D digital models of the bones were particularly useful for designing the new supportive metal armature that will hold the bones securely in place when they are reinstalled. Just as importantly, the digital 3D models will be useful for conservators in the future to asses the degree of degradation of the bones from weathering compared to the point in time when the scans were undertaken, after the conservation work was completed. In due course, these scans could even allow the bones to be replaced with identical replicas to save the original specimens, either by 3D printing them in a suitable medium, or by being cast in bronze. The conservation work had to take into consideration the large volumes of bone loss, how different materials would respond differently to constantly fluctuating environmental conditions and how the bones would be moved and handled, considering their large size and weight.

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