Please join us on November 19 for Anna Serotta’s lecture, Reading Tool Marks on Egyptian Stone Sculptures.

This lecture presents a multidisciplinary approach to understanding the production of ancient Egyptian stone sculpture, including the systematic characterization of tool marks, the examination of ancient tools, experimental archaeology, and consultation with contemporary stone carvers. This approach is demonstrated through a series of case studies which illustrate differences in hard stone and soft stone carving; variations in finishing work on statuary elements; variations in the carving of hieroglyphs; and possible evidence of a changing tool kit.

Objects conservator Anna Serotta is primarily responsible for the conservation of the Egyptian Art collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her research interests span a broad range of topics, including stone carving technology, technical imaging and the mitigation of vibration-induced damage in the museum environment. In addition to her role in the museum, Anna has worked as an archaeological field conservator on sites in Turkey, Greece, Italy and Egypt. Anna is a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome as well as a guest lecturer at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University.