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Unbaked mud can be problematic because of its fragility and its extreme sensitivity to moisture. This paper describes a treatment that was carried out on an ancient Egyptian statue in the Fitzwilliam Museum. The statue was found in Abydos in 1901, and shortly afterwards was reconstructed using animal glue and cotton wool gap fills. These repairs were unsightly and the object was also very unstable and friable. The old repairs were reversed after first masking areas of vulnerable mud with cyclododecane to prevent water damage. Water was applied in the form of a Laponite poultice, through a separating layer of Bondina polyester sheet. Cyclododecane was also used to reduce staining of the porous substrate during subsequent consolidation with polyvinyl butyral and as a temporary support during intervention. The treatment significantly improved the stability and appearance of the statue, making it suitable for long-term display.

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