3rd edition | Lecture 05
Analysis of Indigenous American objects from the V&A collection by Lucia Burgio
May 22, 2025 | h 3 pm (CEST)
For the 3rd edition of the Current Topics in Heritage Science lecture series, organized by the emerging professionals of the E-RIHS HS Academy, the fifth lecture will be delivered on May 12, 2025, at 3 pm (CEST), by Lucia Burgio.
The lecture “Analysis of Indigenous American objects from the V&A collection” will showcase the research carried out so far at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and will highlight the most recent discoveries and conservation approaches.
Objects made of Indigenous American lacquer have only recently begun to receive the international recognition they truly deserve. The V&A has the largest public collection of these objects in the UK, and is actively researching them using advanced analytical techniques within a multidisciplinary framework. The scientific analysis and technical examination of Indigenous American lacquer objects is being bolstered by curatorial, conservation, anthropological and sociological expertise, and the results are being shared widely to bring the world’s lacquer community together, bridging specialism, geography and language divides. From a Heritage Science perspective, what is the best analytical approach for objects which are both rare and not yet fully understood?
Key topics we’ll cover
- Mopa mopa and barniz de Pasto
- Mexican lacquer (or maque)
- Cumatê
- Non-destructive analysis approaches
- Pigment and dye identification
- Novel conservation approaches
Lucia Burgio is Lead Conservation Scientist at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, where she heads the Science laboratory and guides the scientific analysis of museum objects. She assists the Museum’s curators and conservators in the examination and understanding of the collections, providing information on materials and techniques, methods of construction, date and provenance. She has published extensively on her special interests (historical pigments, and American and Asian lacquer). She has a Chemistry degree from the University of Palermo, Italy, and a PhD in Chemistry from University College London. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, where she chairs the AMC Heritage Science Expert Working Group, using her position to promote the role and importance of analytical science in the cultural heritage sector and disseminate heritage science to various audiences.
Register now here!
To discover the full programme of the 3rd edition check here
EDITORIAL TEAM OF THE 3RD EDITION
Emma Paolin, PhD student in the Heritage Science Laboratory Ljubljana at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Slovenia – ORCID
María Teresa Molina Delgado, Juan de la Cierva Research Fellowship at the Institute of Geosciences, Spanish National Research Council (IGEO-CSIC) – ORCID
Diego Quintero Balbas, Fixed-term Researcher in the Heritage Science Group at the Italian National Institute of Optics, National Research Council of Italy (CNR-INO) – ORCID
Tjaša Rijavec, Postdoctoral Researcher in the Heritage Science Laboratory Ljubljana and and Teaching Assistant at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Slovenia– ORCID
Fabiana Di Gianvincenzo, Migelien Gerritzen Fellowship at the Rijksmuseum – ORCID
Antonina Chaban, Fixed-term Research Technologist in the Heritage Science Group at the Italian National Institute of Optics, National Research Council of Italy (CNR-INO) – ORCID
