The Byzantine wood and bone box is from approximately the 4th to 7th century AD.  The rectangular main wooden structure of the box is covered with thin wooden veneers alternating with long, thin strips of bone on all sides of the box.  The bone pieces, attached to the wooden structure in part with wooden pegs, are decorated with incised repeating concentric circles that are filled with a dark grey inlaid material.  The object was most likely used as a jewelry box and has a sliding lid that would keep its contents safe. This type of box is a more understated example of the popular late Roman and early Byzantine wooden chests and boxes that were often decorated with bone or ivory panels carved in low relief in narrative or ornamental scenes.

 

Small sections of the bone strips and wooden veneers are lost on the four sides and bottom of the box.  The overall structure of the box is stable, however multiple pieces of bone were loose. In addition to numerous cracks in the bone pieces, several strips of bone had also deformed slightly over time and are not flush with the wood behind them.  Of the remaining wood veneers, a few also moved slightly under pressure.  Evidence of modern repairs to the bone and wood includes at least two types of adhesive: a thin, clear adhesive and a thicker brown adhesive.

 

The surface of the box was covered with loose dust and dirt on the wood and bone. In addition, there was ingrained dirt and dark accretions scattered overall on the bone.  The goals of the treatment were to stabilize loose pieces of bone and wood and clean the surfaces to reduce grime and create a more even surface appearance.

 

The wood surfaces were cleaned with soft brushes and soft sponges.  A fair amount of grime was removed.

 

Just over one dozen sections of loose bone were stabilized by injecting a solution of Butvar B-98 in ethanol behind the bone.  Depending on the location of the bone strip, weight or pressure was applied for several hours while the adhesive dried.  Small weight bags were used for the bone on the top surface of the box, applied over a barrier layer of silicone release Mylar and a piece of high density polyethylene foam.  Mylar and foam were also placed against the bone on the side surfaces of the box before wooden skewers were pressure fit between the foam and low strips of blue board surrounding the box.

 

In order to stabilize the bone pieces that were not flush with the wooden structure behind them, the B-98 solution was bulked with glass microballoons and was again injected behind the bone.  Several areas of loose wood veneers were also stabilized with B-98 in the same manners.

 

The bone pieces were cleaned with a solution of 0.5% ammonium citrate in deionized water with methyl cellulose to a pH of approximately 6.7, taking care to avoid affecting the dark inlay in the incised circles.  The citrate solution was cleared with cotton swabs dampened with deionized water.  Significant dirt, grime, residues, accretions, and several areas of visible aged excess adhesive were removed from the bone surfaces.  Although the surfaces of the bone pieces retain a slightly uneven natural aged appearance, they are noticeably brighter.