Page:The museum, (Jackson, Marget Talbot, 1917).djvu/192

162 material of the original statue. (B. Daun, Die Bemahlung antiker Gipsabgüsse, Museumskunde, XI, p. 193.) In considering this question the preservation of the cast must be thought of. A cast is by nature porous. It catches and holds dust very easily. Unless it has been treated in some manner dust can only be removed by the use of some elaborate method like the starch process, which was developed in the Albertinum in Dresden, the receipt being as follows:

In order to starch a life-size bust, take about one pound of clean, dry wheat starch and pour over it a scant pint of cold water. Stir until lumps are gone and the starch and water are thoroughly mixed. Place on the stove an agateware kettle which holds at least a gallon and put in it about two quarts of boiling water. Add to this the mixture of starch and water already made and stir constantly to avoid lumps. This should be allowed to cook until the paste becomes very thick. This hot paste must be spattered at once onto the cast by means of a large round bristle brush. The plaster must not be stroked with the brush, but the cast must be covered with an even coat of paste about one-half inch thick. If the paste is too thin it will run off, while if it is too thick it will not stick at all. A little experimenting will easily show what consistency is desirable. After