There are a great variety of clays in the world, used since prehistoric times to make everything from utilitarian and ceremonial objects to decorative friezes, small figurines, and large-scale sculpture. The actual chemical deterioration of clay and ceramic ware, though possible, is usually slow. Nonetheless, ceramic remains a brittle material and one that is susceptible to dramatic and catastrophic damage by impact or stress loading beyond the material’s strength.

Crystallization of soluble salts can result in serious damage to the ceramic structure and the decorative surface, especially if it is glazed. Soluble salts such as phosphates, nitrates (in soil and groundwater laden with fertilizer and industrial pollutants), and especially chlorides (such as those found in the sea and sometimes in the ground) will combine with water and migrate through the pore structure of the ceramic. When the water evaporates from the ceramic, the salt will effloresce. Since salt crystals have greater volume than salt in solution, they can impose impressively high stress loads in the pores of the ceramic structure, leading to microfracturing and damage. The process is especially damaging when the salts build up under the glaze surface, which is less permeable to the passage of water vapour and salt crystals. Because the salt cannot grow out from the surface, the crystals form below or at the body-glaze interface. The result is either a weakened ceramic structure just below the glaze or a separation fracture between the glaze and the ceramic body. In either case, the end result is that the ceramic becomes powdery and the glaze flakes away.

When soluble salts are present within the ceramic structure at a percentage considered threatening, the conservator must remove them. The most common method of removal is by soaking the ceramic in deionized water for extended periods of time. The water dissolves the salt and draws it out of the ceramic. As the water is regularly refreshed, it is tested for salt content. The process is continued until the water no longer contains salt or includes a very low percentage that the conservator deems safe. Desalination can also be carried out through the application of water-based poulticing. Paper pulp is often used for this purpose.

Salt-damaged ceramic ware must often be consolidated before mending. Acrylic copolymers in solution are the most common choice for this purpose. The copolymer is introduced into the ceramic body as a low-percentage solution in a solvent. The ceramic body is then slowly dried in an atmosphere containing the fumes of the solvent, in order to control the rate of drying and even the amount of deposition of the consolidant within the ceramic body. In some cases, alkoxy silanes are used for consolidation. These materials leave an amorphous silica network within the structure of the ceramic body, introducing greater strength.

Adhering ceramic shards together has in the past been carried out with a wide variety of material ranging from natural resins such as shellac to plasters, grouts, and cements. Today the conservator has a variety of synthetic materials at hand that offer a degree of reversibility and long-term stability necessary to meet the ethical guidelines of modern practice. Acrylic copolymers have proved quite useful in mending ceramic fractures. However, larger vessels or sculptural forms often require stronger structural adhesives. In such cases, the conservator turns to polyesters and even epoxy adhesives. Whatever the choice of adhesive, the conservator will always make the choice on the basis of long-term stability and reversibility of the join.

In modern conservation practice, the infill of a loss on a ceramic vessel is often painted a monochromatic colour sympathetic to the original material but not fully matching it. The fill might also be slightly depressed from the original surface, further indicating that this is a modern addition that does not attempt to complete complex drawing or decorative detail that may not be fully known or may be quite specific to an artist’s style. Sometimes reconstruction is necessary when an original piece can be reconnected to the original sculpture or vase only by filling a gap caused by the loss of material between the two sections. Any fills, bridges, and reconstruction are often done in plaster, lime putty, or synthetic resins such as polyesters or epoxy. In the case of more “invisible” restoration—where the repair is not meant to be seen, thus giving the impression that damage never occurred—the restorer might use epoxy or polyester resins with clay or other mineral powders to mimic the colour and translucency of the clay or glaze. This is often the case in porcelain restorations. Although this is common, it is important that the conservator follow ethical guidelines by recording this repair fully so as to not mislead future observers or scholars as to the true condition of the object. Infill materials and paints or colorants used must be fully reversible, and, in most cases, it is not acceptable to overpaint an original surface in order to camouflage a repair.

The approach taken to cleaning ceramic material is dependent not only on the deposit to be removed but also very much on the ceramic body itself. High-fired porcelain might withstand more aggressive actions than a delicate, low-fired coarseware. Approaches in either case range from light brushing to removal or reduction of hard encrustation by surgical scalpel. Ultrasonic descalers can be used, as can a variety of chemical agents, including solvents and chelates. The application of laser energy is a fairly new frontier in the cleaning of ceramic material and promises very exciting future possibilities.