Abstract
A condition survey of a teaching collection of plaster casts, used to ask what conservation is actually preserving when the object is already a reproduction.
Research question
When the object is already a copy, what is conservation actually preserving?
Method / Sources
Surface condition recorded for each cast on a four-point scale, with the accession records and two earlier conservation reports read alongside.
Findings
Loss is concentrated on the handled edges rather than the modelled faces, which suggests the collection has been worn by teaching rather than by time.
Conclusion
If the wear is evidence of use, repairing it erases the collection's own history as a teaching instrument.
References
[Full reference list to be added.]