Meet & Geek: Wax Moulage Workshop with Conservator Beth Nunan

Don't miss your chance to create your own wax moulage masterpiece during our December Meet & Geek: Wax Moulage Workshop!

 

Anyone who visits the Mütter Museum remembers the Vasseur-Tramond eye moulages: 100 individual wax models, each depicting a different eye injury or disease. These vivid moulages were produced by the Vasseur-Tramond workshop in 19th-century Paris. There, artisans and physicians worked together to create lifelike teaching objects that depicted dissections, pathologies, and delicate anatomical features, such as the vascular system. 

But old and beautiful objects require maintenance! Beth Nunan, Lead Conservator at FLUX Art Conservation, spent a year restoring the 100 Vasseur-Tramond eye moulages. Doing so required Beth to solve artistic mysteries: what materials and techniques had 19th-century French artisans used to produce such detailed, lifelike, and precise models? What unique problems do eyes – with their clear lenses and minuscule features -- pose to conservation?

Beth Nunan will bring us into the world of wax moulages and art conservation at this Meet & Geek. She will offer attendees a detailed look behind the scenes of conserving the 100 Vasseur-Tramond eye moulages, including techniques, problem-solving, materials, and a window into the historical artisans. This event has two tiers of tickets: 

• For $75, guests will receive their own “blank” copy of a Vasseur-Tramond eye moulage, hand-crafted by Beth. For 90 minutes, Beth will guide ticketholders through bringing their model to life with paint and other materials. Guests will bring home their masterpiece – perfect as a unique item for the bookshelf, mantle, or holiday gift bag. This ticket tier has limited availability.
• For $20, guests will get access to behind-the-scenes collections items related to wax artisans, including wax models of dissection, disease, and injury, and archival documents about our wax collections items. Museum staff will be on hand to discuss these materials in detail with guests. 

 

Event Timeline:

6–6:30 PM: Talk by Beth Nunan

6:30–8 PM: Wax Moulage Workshop

 

Museum Members and College Fellows: When you sign in at the top of the page or , you'll receive 20% off your ticket once it's added to the cart!

 

If you have questions or concerns, please contact .