For those of you who have not met my friend from school, here is what you need to know to understand this post. Firstly, Sarah loves metal conservation and the bigger it is, the better. It is one of my life’s goals to find a military tank for her to conserve (so if you have one lying around your backyard, let her know). Secondly, her Daddy works for Moosehead.
At Hampton Court there are two bronze statues in King William III’s Orangery (which is one of my favourite places in the palace, because it has this view).
The statues have lived in this space since it was completed and until a few years ago they sat on either end of the room. When degrading marble statues were brought from the gardens to the Orangery, the two bronze statues were moved to the middle of the room so everything looked balanced. One of the statues was very happy with this move. The other was not and she developed *bronze disease*! This is an inherent vice found in the metal and once it starts there really isn’t much you can do about it. You can only watch as this white crud forms on the surface.
How cool is that?
Okay, now the less conservation-nerdy part of this post. I walk by a wine/alcohol store by my tube station every day. Last week they changed their window display and now I walk by this bit of Canadiana.
But little did I know this was not my last Moosehead sighting for the week because sitting on the floor of the ‘Northeastern Woodlands’ display in the North America gallery of the British Museum was this.
No label. No explanation why a beer bottle was sitting in the middle of a display of native artifacts. I think someone left it there to amuse the Canadian tourists. Anyone else have any theories?
Hillary, you have just made my day! Not only that but you've made my dad's day too! He noticed that the labels were quite recent and was wondering how that beer made it across the pond! Amazing! This is a sign that London wants me.
ReplyDeleteLoving the bronze diease too! What more could a girl want other than bronze diease and beer?!