Generales

By Carlos Olimpo Restrepo S., Journalist at UdeA Communications Office 

Experts and students from the Universidad de Antioquia are tackling the intricate task of restoring a brown incised-style funerary urn discovered on El Volador Hill, Medellín, in the 1990s. Shattered into hundreds of pieces and worn by time, the urn demands precise reconstruction, making the process an accurate test of skill and dedication. 

Above, from left to right: classified fragments and numbered pieces. Below, the urn being restored. Photos: Muua / María Ximena Medina. 
 
For many, assembling puzzles is a favorite pastime that can take anywhere from hours to months, depending on the number of pieces, their shape, colors, and the complexity of the design. 

When it comes to heritage items of historical significance that have been dismantled or fragmented, the task demands the expertise of skilled professionals. It requires much more time than assembling a drawing, artwork, or photograph on cardboard. 

This funerary urn, from the Quimbaya culture and the incised brown style, was discovered in fragments in the 1990s by archaeologist Helda Otero de Santos on El Volador Hill in Medellín. She entrusted it to the Anthropology Collection at the University Museum of the Universidad de Antioquia (Muua), where it has been carefully restored, piece by piece, for over seven years. 

Maribel López was the first to undertake this task. In 2017, as an Anthropology student at UdeA and an administrative assistant at the Museum, she had some experience reconstructing small pieces. Yet when Santiago Ortiz — the curator of the Anthropology Collection at the Muua at the time — entrusted her with this new project, she realized it would be one of the exceptional challenges of her career. 

“He showed me a plastic basket full of dust, with large and small fragments, some already partially joined from an initial attempt at preventive conservation. He stressed that I had to finish the work, and when I promised to do so, he mentioned that I would need more baskets,” recalled the now-anthropologist. 

Experts identified and classified 521 fragments from the urn in total, which reconstruct a round-bodied piece measuring about 60 centimeters in width and 70 centimeters in height. Originating from El Volador Hill, the urn spent centuries buried and fractured, and some parts turned to dust, resulting in permanent loss. Nevertheless, the recovered ceramic fragments provide a precise insight into its original shape and function. 

“After a year of work, my colleagues joked that I would retire with the urn, but the truth is, I left it almost finished just before my graduation, after three years of dedicated work,” recalled Maribel López.

María Ximena Medina during her work on the funerary urn from the Quimbaya culture. Photo: UdeA Communications Office / Andrea Vargas 
 
María Ximena Medina, a seventh-semester Anthropology student and assistant in ceramic conservation and restoration at Muua, is now leading the continuation of this task. At the end of 2022, her expertise with around twenty pieces from diverse origins led to her selection for this project. 

“The urn was already in the Anthropology room, but it was incomplete. Some large sections were still missing due to worn fragments, which made it challenging to determine where they fit,” said María Ximena Medina. 

The student highlighted that for this task, they must carefully examine each fragment, even those already placed in the urn, to ensure the shape remains as faithful as possible to how the ancestral inhabitants of Aburrá originally crafted it. They focus on characteristics such as the type of ceramic, thickness of various sections (base, body, or mouth), incisions, color, and paint. 

“Once I determine where a fragment belongs, I visualize how it will align, mark the contact points with other pieces using chalk (which I later wipe off with distilled water), and then apply a special adhesive designed for this type of ceramic,” explained María Ximena Medina. 

The Muua Anthropology Collection explained that when a museum acquires pieces, it must decide whether they will undergo preventive conservation (to maintain conditions that ensure their preservation), curative conservation (to stop processes that damage their structure and restore stability), or restoration conservation (interventions that help improve the appreciation and understanding of the object). 

“The aim is not to restore the piece to its original appearance, as that would be misleading for us and the public when presenting it. In cases like this urn, we focus on joining the fragments with appropriate materials to ensure greater durability and stability over time,” emphasized Pimienta. He also noted that this heritage item underwent both preventive and curative conservation.