Written by Greta Kelly, Conservation Practice MSc Student at Cardiff University.

During my studies on the Conservation Practice MSc at Cardiff University I had the opportunity to do a placement with the natural science conservation department at Museums NI. As part of this I assisted in an ongoing project to conserve and stabilise a number of trophy heads in the museums stores. The trophy head that I worked on was an impala skull, mounted on a wooden shield, dated to the 1930s.

Before beginning any conservation, I carried out a condition assessment of the skull and shield, to determine what treatment would be needed. The skull was generally in good condition, with no identifiable breakages or loss. The teeth while still in their sockets, were loose, and there was slight delamination at the base of the right horn. There was extensive surface dirt on the teeth, horns and skull, including inside the skull.

Before cleaning images of the impala skull. Image credit: Greta Kelly

The wooden shield was in good condition, with just some surface dirt. However the two metal hooks which looped through the zygomatic arches to hold the skull in place, were not providing sufficient support, allowing the skull to move about on the shield and putting it at risk of damage.

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