This week we have an 18^thC Islamic ceramic vessel with beautiful underglaze decoration. The piece, which exists in 39 fragments, had been repaired in the past. The old adhesive had significantly deteriorated causing the bottom pieces to become detached. The entire piece will now need to be taken apart to remove the deteriorated adhesive and a more stable adhesive will be used to rejoin the fragments. The reassembly process can be difficult, and it is always necessary to create a plan to reattach the fragments in a specific order to ensure that no piece is locked out of the final arrangement. In the photos you can see that a template of the fragments is created, and each piece is given a number, then a step-by-step plan is made to reattach each piece in an order to ensure the best alignment. The vessel is now much more stable and can be appreciated for years to come!

Pitcher, 18^th C, Iran, ceramic, Gift of the Heirs of John W. Bookwalter, 1919.501