Analysis of adhesives used on the Melbourne University Cypriot pottery Collection using a portable FTIR-ATR analyzer

This paper demonstrates the unique advantages of using a portable FTIR spectrometer with a diamond ATR window for analyzing micro-samples of adhesive obtained from archaeological pottery. The Cypriot collection housed in the Ian Potter Museum of Art at the University of Melbourne was used as a case study for identifying adhesive samples. An initial survey of the collection determined which items have been repaired with an adhesive and estimated the level of difficulty that would be involved with removing a sample. Next a polymer resin identification survey was conducted on all items, which had adhesive repairs. Instead of removing artifacts from their museum storage area, which pose the risk of breakage, a portable FTIR unit was brought into the storage space where the collection is housed. Analysis involved micro-sampling using water/acetone swabs (or physical removal if the polymer film was insoluble), immediate data collection, analysis and identification based on reference spectra of commercial adhesive products anecdotally known to be used for repairing archaeological pottery. As a consequence of sample collection and the assessment of spectral data quality being conducted concurrently, most adhesive samples were successfully identified. Subsequent analysis allowed comparisons to be made between the adhesive types identified, adhesive appearance and the original archaeological dig sites. In addition an assessment was made of adhesive performance.