Philip Kevin

Conservator of organic artefacts

Conservator of organic artefacts for display, loan, study and storage

Department: Conservation and Scientific Research

Telephone: +44 (0)20 7323 8089
Email: conservation @ thebritishmuseum.ac.uk

Philip Kevin joined the British Museum as Organic Artefacts Conservator in 2005 and his areas of expertise include archaeological organics and cabinet making.

His current areas of interest include the conservation of wooden objects, principally archaeological but also historical and ethnographic material and he has recently attended the international course on wood conservation technology (ICWCT) course in Oslo Norway. He has experience in working with musical instruments and furniture. He also has a keen interest in the conservation of ivory, bone and antler.

He gained an MSc in the Conservation of Archaeological and Museum Objects at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London in 2005 and undertook an internship at the British Museum. In 2004 he gained an MA in Principles of Conservation from the Institute of Archaeology, University College London.

Previously he worked as a freelance Frame Conservator at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London and on Furniture and Musical Instrument Conservation at the Michael Parfett Workshop, London. Philip has also worked freelance as a furniture conservator.

Having trained in carpentry and joinery at Willesden College of Technology, and later in cabinet making at the Metropolitan University London (previously London Guildhall University), he worked as both a locksmith and architectural ironmonger before gaining a BSc (Hons) in Conservation and Restoration, at London Guildhall University, including an internship at the Wallace Collection, London.

Current British Museum projects

Conservation of wooden clock cases for the new clocks and watches gallery

Conservation of the Riemenschnieder carved panel

Conservation of Ancient Egyptian Organic material

Previous British Museum projects

Conservation of a Medieval citole

Conservation of Organic material from Ringlemere including an Anglo–Saxon bucket

External fellowships/ honorary positions/ membership of professional bodies

Member of the Institute of Conservation (ICON) - Archaeology, Metal and Furniture Group

Publications

P. Kevin, J. Robinson,Susan La Niece, C.R. Cartwright, C Egerton.  'A Musical Instrument fit for a Queen: The Metamorphosis of a Medieval Citole' The British Museum Technical Bulletin,Volt. 2. 2008 (Forthcoming)

P. Kevin, 'A Hole in the Bucket: The Technological Investigation and Conservation of a wet composite Anglo-Saxon bucket from Ringlemere, Kent' with , D.Cleere, C. Ward, C. Cartwright, J. Ambers, R. Stacey, poster contribution to the International conference on wet organic archaeological materials (ICOM-WOAM) 10-15 September, 2007