material analysis of manuscript maps
With Library of Congress preservation scientist, Meghan Hill, we have conducted material analysis of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century manuscript maps and atlases with the aim of identifying pigments, inks, paper, and watermarks. These studies have illuminated our understanding of materials, technologies, and artists’ practices.
Technical analysis of ceramic vessels
With conservators and technicians at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and the Museo Nacional de Antropología, Arqueología, e Historia in Lima, Peru, I have conducted technical analysis of ancient ceramic vessels using radiography and xero-radiography. These studies have shed light on the way vessels were constructed by ancient artists.
Acoustic analysis of ceramic vessels
With musicians, musicologists, and ethnomusicologists at the Museo Nacional de Antropologia, Arqueologia, e Historia, I have conducted acoustic analysis of ancient ceramic vessels.
provenance research & cultural heritage
Since 1990, I have conducted provenance research for museums and individuals. My research has led to involvement in cultural patrimony and restitution cases, consulting for the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Justice. My first case resulted in the repatriation of hundreds of Indigenous objects to their countries of origin in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.
