Tibetan Bronze Figure

When you look at artifacts like these Tibetan figures, you probably cannot guess their condition or how they were made. But this is important information for Museum conservators Judith Levinson and Karl Knauer, who are responsible for their care. To investigate, they used x-rays.

In the bronze figure, they found that the hollow body is made from sheet metal, while the hands and feet are solid-cast. As to the wood figure, the x-ray revealed previous repairs – note the nails and screw. It also revealed small objects, called consecration items, placed in a cavity within the body.