Stone Sculpture Wear: Alteration/Fragmentation Processes and Their Impact on Carving Traces of Tenon Heads of Chavín de Huántar, Peru

Abstract

The study of the stone sculpture production process is subject to the preservation and visibility of tool traces and surface finishes. In this article it is proposed that the parameters developed in conservation for the diagnosis of surface stone alteration processes can be used as descriptors to isolate the attributes of postproduction conditions and their influence on variation in the appearance of stonework traces. It shows how the application to a case study served to determine the alterations that contribute to the deterioration of carving traces, the selection of the best-preserved areas for recording, and the retrieval of information for increasing the sample number. The results of fracturing patterns caused by a stress sector in the sculpture body are shown. Certain sets of alterations occurred together, either affecting the integrity of the carving groove or increasing the texturing finish of the polished surface.