Skip to content

Behind the Scenes in Conservation: Shell & Barnacle Covered Bowl

by Kelly Rectenwald, Associate Objects Conservator

4/20/2023

CAMConservation, Celadon Glaze, Chinese bowl, Marine life, Saltwater, objects conservation

This fifteenth-century Chinese ceramic bowl presents some intriguing features that tell a fascinating story of its past. Shells and barnacles cover the bowl’s surface. These unusual attachments are commonly seen on objects that have spent time in ocean environments, in this example, possibly the result of a shipwreck.