Art Preservation Hidden in Plain Sight (at

[@tested]

More about this crown: www.metmuseum.org/about-the-met/conservation-and-scientific-research/conservation-stories/2020/crown-of-andes Met's Object Conservation Department: www.metmuseum.org/about-the-met/conservation-and-scientific-research/objects-conservation This Wood-Turned Cup Is Actually 74 Cups! kzbin.info/www/bejne/rpndi556a8ysqsk This Ancient Mace Hides a Big Surprise: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6OwlYx8f5WZp6M Adam Savage Meets Real Armored Gauntlets: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a2qQaoOid5J5Z7s Adam Savage Meets Real Ancient Swords: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXvcoXukqKqhbtE More Met videos: kzbin.info/aero/PLJtitKU0CAeiUv8endzt93QO2_T96n_xe

[@graffic13]

Adam come to the Toledo Museum of art

[@adamhharbin]

Wiki - “1936, General Motors used it at the unveiling of their new Chevrolet models”. I wonder if it wil find its way back to Popayán.

[@gilliandaywiggins9177]

THATS MY UNCLE 🤩 Love you, Uncle Matt!! You’re so great at what you do, it’s cool seeing you get some recognition for it!!

[@K_8T]

How special to see a loved one showcasing hard delicate work ❤

[@yokoyuhudo5060]

You should worry about his mental illness before his recognition on something so vain to the world

[@K_8T]

@@yokoyuhudo5060 wow....aren't you a ray of sunshine 😊

[@nukachronic6211]

Your uncle has become fodder for the government misinformation machine. Sorry for your loss.

[@em21701]

In what I feel must be a high compliment, it took me awhile to figure out what the support structure he built actually was because it all looked like it belonged there. When he started talking about the serpentine pattern around the emeralds is where the light bulb came on.

[@ktmdukenz]

I had the same thought... I was looking for really thin line or something. I didn't realize what it was until it shows the mount at the bottom for the arms.

[@Si-Al-Ti]

It’s conflicting for me that many viewers, myself, even Adam, couldn’t directly see what was original and what was not. I understand the importance of discrete preservation work, but if the average museum visitor will see that work as part of the original it becomes a problem. The visitor will be tricked (in lack of a better word). I think that for restoration work, for example, it’s acceptable that only a trained eye can distinguish between original and added elements, but a support structure serves a different purpose and should not follow the same principle. Its primary purpose is to stabilize and display the object. When so seamlessly integrated, there’s risk of altering the visitor’s understanding of the authenticity of the object. Transparency is key in conservation work, and one could argue that this undermines the trust between institution and audience. Just my two cents is all

[@pithlyx]

@@Si-Al-Ti While i can get behind you conceptually on that, there is a part of me that just wants to see the piece as it was meant to be viewed. in this case i feel its not just preserving the piece, but also preserving the (seemingly) intended image with the internals clear of obstruction letting the light hit the dangling emeralds. and there is a beauty/craftsmanship/artistry to creating a structure that blends in and allows you to take in just the object as it would have been viewed hundreds of years ago. im not a huge art guy so i have no skin in the game but i definitely prefer this to having it pieced together with obvious mounts. while it is more true to its history i feel it takes away from its goal to be viewed as a masterpiece.

[@jasminejo2424]

@@Si-Al-Ti i would say as a diy enthusiast who watches a lot of diy but doesnt have room in her home to make a lot of stuff if i were shown this crown and asked to point out the part that is not origional it would not take me more than a few mins of looking to see the brass is a diferent colour and texture and is screwed into the base etc and come to the conclusion that it is in fact a support and not part of the piece. i think for most people the colour and texture diference would be apparent from a few moments with the piece however having it be black for example would imediately let you know its a support but also change the whole feel of the piece and trying to make it from acrlic so it could be seethrough would be quite hard and would likely need to be much thicker to support the weight. it is possible that his construct could be replicated now with a 3d printer and printed in clear plastic however given the wieght of the top of the crown i dont know if that plastic could hold the weight and stabalize the structure as well. i cant find the word for it or a reference online wich is anoying but i know in art restoration there is a technique where you fill in area of missing paint by paintint in the correct colour with small lines of paint so from afar the painting looks whole and undamaged but when you get up close you can see the areas where the paint is laid on in lines and can clearly see that those areas are restores and not origional and to me thats what using the brass that does not match rather than using something that lookes more like gold comes in

[@lisahahn6879]

These museum videos are one of my favourite things on this channel, so incredibly interesting!

[@tested]

Thanks so much! We love filming at the Met.

[@danielland3767]

Facts, Adam is the Ms. Frizzle for us going to all these cool places

[@sunlitriddle2294]

I love hearing a master talk about their craft, and I'm glad that Adam (also a master of his craft) knew what questions to ask

[@blakes8901]

What I really respect (and something Adam is very good at) is when a fellow enthusiast gives a passionate person space to show off something they are proud of. Some more critical viewers might say he asks leading questions in this interview, but I would say he knows exactly which questions to ask to give an interviewee the space to give their best interview; only interrupting (if you could even call it that) to create a segway that allows the conversation to proceed to its next logical point. At the very least, I am sure we can all agree that Linda Borsch and Matthew Cumbie did an amazing job preserving this piece of history.

[@matthewcole4753]

It's the most beautiful work you could see. These emeralds actually have a bluish hue if you see them in person. The detail work is incomparable. Please upload more videos from the Met Adam, people deserve to enjoy it around the world!

[@angela-thebooknerdess2110]

Conservatory are my heroes without them the Archivist or curator hasn't a job. (I am a digitisation volunteer and that sense of awesome and glee Adam shows ... it never goes away)

[@castoputa]

I imagine that the makers of this piece would really love to know that it was receiving such good care, this is astounding and thank you for highlighting the work of these unsung heroes of engineering.

[@melo7591]

They actually would like it back

[@troy4340]

Owner: Its 5lbs of solid gold with 400 special emeralds and is basically priceless Pawn Star Rick: The best i can do is 10k and im taking all the risk

[@annwagner5779]

This is so fascinating! I’ve worked in art museums for more than 40 years and I never stop learning about the field and loving it. Thank you, Tested Team, for another great production! We museum folk all work for the heritage, knowledge, and joy of countless people. It is such a privilege!

[@writerpatrick]

Now Adam is going to want to build a replica crown of his own.

[@jonharvey6277]

But only so he can build the support to display it

[@krisderuysscher]

Or a Fabergé egg replica (as in Ocean’s Twelve). Now THAT would be a challenge, a holographic one!

[@Charlesb88]

Would that be Adam’s crowning achievement?😂

[@Wasatch95]

You mean ANOTHER crown of his own. I think he's up to three at this point. 😂

[@Light_Lead-b3v]

He's already built a replica of the British Royal Family crown

[@marshallpope1387]

I always love these Met videos. Would you guys ever look at the period rooms? I'd be interested to hear about how those are installed and how items are chosen to populate them.

[@tested]

Thanks for the suggestion! We plan a return visit in 2025.

[@Tkizuka]

Yassssss I agree! How do you put a baroque room into a room

[@catatonicbug7522]

​@Tkizuka you fix it first, then you baroque it.

[@notfeedynotlazy]

Fu fact: the... "gentleman" from Chicafo who bought the crown in 1936 from the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception (the long-time owners of the crown, who decided to sell it "to raise funds for charitable purposes") fully intended to dismantle it, melt the gold and sell the emeralds apiece. Fortuntely, he could not.

[@JeffBilkins]

The weavy support around the emeralds looks like a branch and if it was supposed to be there.

[@grambofof]

I love that Adam, wowed by the craftsmanship of the crown, is equally as wowed by its support and how that was made.

[@theangrymarmot8336]

I think it is a rather silly reflection on society that after watching a video about a historical item literally made of 5lbs of gold and emblems - people are complaining about a person wearing a mask like it makes any impact on their lives what-so-ever or is any of their concern.

[@tested]

We’re surprised that being upset with people who choose to wear a mask is still a thing after almost five years of COVID, but such comments help the video in the algorithm, so … sigh/shrug.

[@_SurferGeek_]

@@thelostforager Confused... are you stating that, as a medical professional, the outdated practice of aspiration during injections should or shouldn't have been eliminated?

[@thelostforager]

@_SurferGeek_ outdated? Okay so the whole mechanism of this injection is to make your cells produce a spike protein right? Your immune system will then come and destroy those cells and then gain some immunity. The shot is intended to be intramuscular because your body can easily recover from losing a few thousand muscle cells. The point of aspiration is to ensure you are not in a vein, if you are and you inject this a packet of guaranteed cell destruction can go anywhere, and most likely the heart, or the brain, neither of which handles any level of cell destruction well... So why is this outdated and how do you prevent that otherwise? And did they? No... ?

[@thelostforager]

@@_SurferGeek_ @_SurferGeek_ outdated? Okay so the whole mechanism of this is to make your cells produce a spike protein right? Your immune system will then come and eliminate those cells to gain some immunity. The shot is intended to be intramuscular because your body can easily recover from losing a few thousand muscle cells. The point of aspiration is to ensure you are not in a vein, if you are and you inject this a packet of guaranteed cell destruction that can go anywhere, and most likely the heart, or the brain, neither of which handles any level of cell destruction well... So why is this outdated and how do you prevent that otherwise? And did they? No... ?

[@thelostforager]

@_SurferGeek_ outdated? How else do you tell if its intravenous or intramuscular? The whole mechanism of this in ject is to make your cells produce a protein and have your immune system eliminate those cells. If that packet of guaranteed cellular destruction gets in your veins it could go anywhere. In particular your brain or your heart. Neither of which can handle mass cellular outages well.

[@BazukinBelyugovich]

In a strange way, those brass mount arms Mr. Cumbie made for the crown have their own aesthetic beauty on top of their structural function. The way they weave around the hanging emeralds kind of has an Art Nouveau look to them, which goes surprisingly well with the Rococo-era crown.

[@Digitalsurfer265]

This video deserves going into video settings and choosing the highest resolution

[@AndrewSteffenHB]

I do that out of habit on every video, I don’t even think about doing it anymore. It just happens.

[@Tkizuka]

I love watching restoration and what goes on behind the scenes of a museum

[@Adriaaan]

For way too long I was looking for some super thin plexiglass support or thin fishing line to hold it. Took me until them mentioning brass to see it! Super cool, incredibly well done.

[@Alyjah777]

Not only is gold heavy but extremely soft. For it to have stood the test of time this long is incredible!

[@grangling]

i love how adam is so enthused about every little detail, amazing

[@albertsmyth9616]

I instantly thought that the cross shaped screws were original because I live and work in a large Catholic Church in a European capital city that has an extensive collection of historical precious objects in the sacristy that are used in the church, and a lot of them have exactly the same screws as these cross shaped screws. We have a crown for our statue of the Virgin that is exactly the same shape as this and is almost certainly a copy of a generally accepted Continental design. Fascinating.

[@davidrobie4048]

I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of this!! I found myself remembering my almost 50 years in live theater though!! So many things over the years that accomplished very specific and quite frankly amazing things that were imperatively never seen. I would love to watch Adam, with experience and understanding of the parameters, explore the history and engineering and art of how live theater makes the impossible happen every night without fail for years and years. Phantom’s tour, which rebuilt theaters all over the world. The chandelier rig. The candles!! The massive automation engineering in the first Les Mis tour. The elegant design of Hamilton. This is a whole world of the intersection of Art, Design, Technology, Engineering, that most people have no idea of. Most people know movies. But let’s be real, they have CGI to help. And yes, they generally are subjected to far more scrupulous viewing. But, on a bad shoot, they get 50 tries? The development of an effect that works 8 performances a week, even in a single location. Much less gets loaded onto a truck, travels to another location, gets set up in an entirely different environment, and STILL manages to work (one chance only for each experience) … And not just the big effects things! Even in community or regional theater no… actual wax candles that extinguish on Q? A scene in Faust where Mephistopheles strikes a life size crucifix, fills his goblet with the blood that pours from the “spear wound”, drinks from it, has it bursts from it after the priest’s confront him, and flings into the chorus without setting any of them ablaze … I just feel as though this is one of the penultimate versions of Art, Design, Engineering, and “seat of the pants problem solving” for him to explore!

[@AlephBaker]

it took me longer than I would like to admit to realize that the support armature Matthew built wasn't an original part of the crown.

[@tested]

Right? Amazing work!

[@jdriley24]

It belongs in a muse--...oh, carry on, nevermind

[@Its.Me.Wynter]

That thank you at the end from a master of their craft is exactly what I would be if complimented by Adam Savage as a big fan of the work he’s put in to help many others become fascinated with the world around us

[@RealSalica]

He did an amazing job ! I'm glad they are restoring those pieces of history , this is priceless , the workmanship is incredible !

[@strictlykev311]

Glad this guy got to share all the work he put into this! People like this im sure often go unnoticed just like the structure itself holding the crown. Glad he got to share his craft

[@JolynBowler]

What an exquisite piece. Thank you for the wonderful discussion on the restoration. Truly beautiful. 💙🌻💙

[@TheSuzberry]

Adam’s reaction mirrors my own: amazed respect.

[@danielr.8044]

That is some amazing Engineering and Conservation work!

[@Weazle13XIII]

Not sure how possible it would be, but it would be AMAZING to see the curators at work in preservation, the problem solving behind those arch supports would be awesome to see worked out real time!

[@meggysaurusrex]

Emeralds are so beautiful, especially Colombian emeralds even more clear like that -

[@johnniemiec3286]

Beautiful emeralds, not so beautiful story...

[@MarianOBrian-e3p]

These are flawless emeralds of incredible quality. To have so many in one piece is remarkable.

[@TheSkandihoovian]

Adam is very adept at scaling up and down his interview to the pace and vibe of the person he interviews.

[@susaniacuone5758]

Matt's framework is astonishing, but what was done by the other person is a bit troubling. I thought conservation was meant to be reversible. Carbon fibre and epoxy sounds pretty permanent.

[@CleverNerdPun]

Phenomenal. Fascinating. Loved this video!

[@CaratsRitzy]

Art conservation is a fun and educating topic to watch for artists since you learn new ways to protect your work. (Or give the poor conservator one heck of a migraine.) I would've love to see Matthew's prototype for the mounting system cause- goddamn that's some serious incognito craftsmanship. (Please show us a B-roll/highlight of the "before and after" preservation work, it was a bit hard to notice with the static image.)

[@michaelmanier9447]

To see such history is amazing plus the value of things like the crown must be a lot. I hope to see more videos like this and what it takes to keep them going for so many years

[@_SurferGeek_]

The utter hypocrisy of the people complaining about this person choosing to wear a mask but then arguing that it's "my body" and "you can't tell me to wear a mask". If you don't like it... watch something else. If you don't agree and it has absolutely ZERO affect on you, why do you feel entitled to force your opinions on others? Hypocrites!

[@francesconicoletti2547]

I think the word might be triggered. They find it threatening that people might exist with values not their own.

[@_SurferGeek_]

@@francesconicoletti2547 Yeah, but I doubt those type people would use the word 'triggered' as they believe that it's only used by 'Woke' people. 😅

[@kevinchambers1101]

I don't care if the guy is wearing a mask, I'm just surprised that there are fools still out there wearing one.

[@_SurferGeek_]

@@kevinchambers1101 That's quite the oxymoronic response.

[@kevinchambers1101]

@_SurferGeek_ Well, some may say yes, and some may say no.

[@NAKDTV]

I am absolutely in AWE. Thank you Mr. Savage 😊

[@ArtJohnson-c1y]

Adam long time viewer here since Mythbusters absolutely love these videos when you go to a museum like the MET. However as a maker my self I would love to see videos of the restoration process with the restorers and actual techniques how they went through the process. However if those vids can't be made I will still watch your channel. Ps I hope you get double the subscribers next year. Please keep making videos.

[@bootska]

This is my dream job.

[@chrisrand9346]

It is just gorgeous I can only imagine the amount of skill that went into the crown

[@pluggedfinn-bj3hn]

I just like thinking how this crown was clearly ordered by a king that had way too much wealth and not enough brains to understand how uncomfortably heavy as well as structurally weak it would be 😂

[@newbengraham4775]

0:59 you can clearly see a spider silk strand.

[@ChaseChippy]

Hah! Not so well preserved eh

[@indoorhobbytime]

very cool not something you think about when watching a delicate art piece, well done!

[@moegeemoe]

I love Adam being in a different world like fine art/museum art etc. Which makes me wonder: Has Adam attempted and/or made something he'd call fine art?

[@NeedleHair]

Incredible work!

[@BuildinWings]

Lubrication is key.

[@UnholiestJedi]

TWSS

[@bobbyk9815]

I'm glad it wasn't just me.

[@zachmoyer1849]

makes the world go round

[@masterpython]

There is a video of King Charles III watching a video of his crown getting adjusted. It involved a saw and he looked rather horrified.

[@riddleffs435]

The royal tin-foil crown

[@davedaniels8211]

Gold alone valued at £125,000 . Precious gems is anyones guess . Maybe £1,000,000 ? Historically priceless .

[@jperez7893]

can you please answer for us, how do they restore artifacts recovered from shipwrecks and are now presented as if they were made yesterday? case in point were some paper and leather artifacts from the titanic and the mary rose and the vasa, and also some greek amphorae and bronze sculptures

[@cavemann_]

Imagine the value of this crown. it must be in the tens of millions.

[@loiuhuiygny7guyguiygk]

The stats on this must be insane!

[@kotteman8]

I'm just really interested in what kind of brass they used? It will, of course, not chemically interact with the crown since it's made of gold but even in that controlled environment the brass would react with time I imagine?

[@JorisKoolen]

I really enjoyed this!

[@BlenderMadness]

For such an open and accepting team there sure are a lot of hateful fans here. Sorry you all have to deal with that. This video is super fun and interesting.

[@matthewcondon1985]

Wow! Hope to see it in person one day.

[@MeniscoManeiro]

One great thing about tested is the ability to NEVER focus on one topic. We have props, builds, art, behind the scene, advice section for beginners, industry. ❤ No wonder it's the best channel around for creators and creatives!

[@416dl]

5 pounds of gold is roughly equivalent to 8 tablespoons..a single stick of butter..to make all that decorative surface?...so you can see it's really pretty thin to create an object with such volume. Cheers.

[@zachmoyer1849]

1lb is 4 sticks of butter so this is 20 sticks of butter.

[@shawnlebbon]

⁠@@zachmoyer18494 sticks is 1lb of Butter…not 1lb of gold. Gold being much denser than butter, its volume would be less for the same mass.

[@zachmoyer1849]

@@shawnlebbon yeah, but they didn't say what purity the gold was so could be more.

[@justins21482]

They never seem to touch the case, aside from finger prints, im curious about preasure or movement alarms 🧐

[@thewol7534]

Maybe the guy was wearing a mask because he didn't want his face all over the internet, and that was the only way he'd appear on camera. Ever think of that?

[@aidanhershberger8558]

I may have missed this mentioned in the video, but would brass and gold have a potential galvanic corrosion where it might weaken the brass over time, or worse, corrode onto the gold where they touch? Or would it be clear coated to prevent that?

[@francesconicoletti2547]

Isn’t gold inert ?

[@andrewpolson5669]

£145,000 just in gold

[@gregkrueger331]

£165,000/$209,000 current spot price.

[@DonariaRegia]

The emeralds are worth far more. Thousands , probably tens of thousands of dollars for each fifth of a gram.

[@jessefischer7899]

And The history worth more than the gold and emeralds combined!

[@ponyforhire]

How heavy? 2 kg btw

[@alexaez2946]

Thank you, my mind was racing to calculate it but still not able to compute 😂

[@Meilk27]

this guy matt is so cool the design he came up with whats the title of that job? how do you learn that job?!

[@nathkrupa3463]

Great video sir ❤😊

[@marie-louisetroskie]

Why are the teardrop emeralds moving?

[@fatum2900]

The crown was made in Popayán, Colombia

[@johnanon6938]

Did the +plus symbol the ball is on have hinges??? Was the crown meant to be foldable or collapsible originally?

[@crains8087]

They added on the top part some decades after the top part was made. Basically, the whole top is an addition.

[@mattroyle1087]

why not scan it and then work off a 3d printed model

[@tapiolankiira1968]

Guy really had make good job. It just take hundreads of mmore hours of thinking and planning, than executing+ one must constranly think integurity of bject and talk all collaborate with other experts , and in the end goal is to be invisible. Quite amazing actually

[@alaquium109]

It's a beautiful object yes, and the conservators did an amazing job. I can't help but think about the utter atrocities and cultural genocide that occurred while obtaining the gold and emeralds used in the making of this object.

[@castoputa]

I’d be so tempted to put it on 😹

[@radrickdavis]

Emeralds, don't they degrade over time in the air?

[@star_man]

The camera work is abysmal. You can’t appreciate what they’re talking about because the camera is constantly shaking and swaying all over the place. It may be an idea to invest in a handheld gimbal stabiliser.

[@andy2641]

picky ahh

[@philipbrutz2175]

Here is a detailed video on how Matthew made this mount: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aYPXY3eXjb-Sj6Msi=0nToKNh8_X2fsUkQ

[@lynnplymale1231]

Go Matthew!

[@billbucktube]

FIVE POUNDS OF GOLD‼️

[@Jerrywoodruff2]

i cant imagine why they don't get a gold smith to re solder it those fasteners look awful

[@jerrysanchez5453]

You got to love that during global famine,war,and and the horrible tragedies of the 1700s the church made a 5 pound gold crown for a statue

[@theangrymarmot8336]

And what is more amazing nothing has changed lol!

[@jerrysanchez5453]

@theangrymarmot8336 facts

[@thathalfthaiguy]

You almost got it right… that as they caused global… etc

[@harbl99]

Why are all the hospitals, hospices, orphanages, etc. named after saints? (fedoras don't like to answer that one)

[@MarkGovern]

You’ve described probably every century in the last two millennia. Thankfully humanity can still persevere, definitely got to love that.

[@joeqmix]

they are speaking the same language

[@RollaArtis]

If they were courageous enough they would have gold soldered the breaks...

[@ElectraFlarefire]

5£ worth of gold really isn't a whole lot. :) (Sorry, old joke.)

[@BarrySuridge]

The "ball" is a monde.

[@robertl5282]

0:59 there is a spider web on it

[@E7R1I6C]

That one Cobb web tho 😭

[@marie-louisetroskie]

If it was made in Colombia... why is this valuable mastepiece not in a Combian museum?

[@maebhryan3040]

The religious order who owned it sold it in 1936. They sought and received permission from the church to sell it and use the funds for charitable purposes in the area. The buyers were American it was awaited by the met from them.

[@hanslain9729]

It's kind of funny to think that worship of some deity requires that you adorn their likeness with gold.

[@demidlebedev7013]

very shiny, i like

[@matusfekete6503]

4:40 Now image it would have been the St Edward's Crown.

[@TomsBackyardWorkshop]

I can see the emeralds arent perfect on my crappy computer.

[@TheAlastairBrown]

Equally an important part of the history of the object are the slaves in the mines producing all this gold and emeralds under absolutely brutal conditions. There's a massive amount of death and suffering behind such an outwardly beautiful object - it's artistic dichotomy in the most stark of terms.

[@swarticus4228]

That 5lbs of gold is worth around $218,000 just in materials in today's money (nov/2024)

[@danielmkubacki]

So cool!

[@JustLocal]

Blood was not a thing in those days..

[@DrewSuch]

Nice forearms

[@vanillasmerk5742]

I deserve that 👑