The British Museum and Heritage Science

Written by Sedna Villavicencio, Collections Fellows, Mingei International Museum (USA, ITP 2026)

Hi everyone! My name is Sedna Villavicencio and I am the Collections Fellow at Mingei International Museum in San Diego, California (USA). Today’s ITP presentations focused on the topics of conservation, archaeology and scientific research at the British Museum (BM).

Conservation (along with Collection Management, Storage & Moves) is housed under the larger Collection Care & Moves department. As an accredited museum, the BM’s conservation policy must be published online and has to meet the needs of the collection, museum and Arts Council England Accreditation requirements. Additionally, the policy is reviewed every 5 years and must be approved by BM Trustees. In addition to the many conservation specialisms, the department also focuses on exhibition work, loans programs, study room support, internal team training, research and outreach and treasure conservation work. Keely Wilson presented the 10 agents of deterioration which include: pests, incorrect temperature, light, fire and water to name a few. Since these agents threaten the museum collection, the best conservation plan is preventive conservation. By proactively managing temperature, humidity, and light (to name a few), museums mitigate damage before it occurs. This eliminates the need for expensive, invasive restoration while ensuring artworks survive for future generations.

After hearing from Conservation, Ian Richardson, Head of Portable Antiquities & Treasure gave a presentation on the Portable Antiquities Scheme. UK laws like the Treasure Act of 1996, Treasure Designation Order 2002 and Treasure Reform of 2023 mandate that people who find treasure (as defined by the law) report it to the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS), to allow public museums or the British Museum to purchase historically significant artifacts. Since the banning of UK citizens from “treasure hunting” with metal detectors is unlikely, PAS aims to teach the public archaeology best practices. This concept of treasure hunting with metal detectors may sound foreign to many of us from countries outside the UK but, Richardson explained how England has a long history of land owner rights and only land owners can determine what happens on their land (not the State).

Lastly, we heard from Carl Heron, Head of Scientific Research and his team. Unlike other museums, the BM houses on-site scientists and laboratories with the latest tools and technologies. This allows for the continued academic research on the BM’s collection and to support the research of outside scholars. BM Scientist, Aude Mongiatti, showed us the non-evasive techniques the BM uses to expand their research. For example, Mongiatti showed us the case study of Tara, the 8th century statue found in Sri Lanka. A lost-wax casted statue, Mongiatti wanted to know how it was made in the 8th century. By using non-evasive techniques, like X-ray, Mongiatti discovered Tara was made by hollow lost-wax casting and has an internal metallic armature inside a clay core. This session didn’t just expand my knowledge; I left with an even deeper appreciation for the people who care for the objects housed at the BM.