The horse figurine dated to the Archaic Era, is made of white clay. Orange/red stripes decorate the neck, the body and the face of the figurine, creating a 'brindle'.
The conservation procedure included the following stages: desalination, mechanical cleaning, drying and documentation of the aforementioned activities. Static immersion has been chosen for the desalination process. It is a rather time consuming procedure because the object needs to be washed in seawater, tap water and finally in refinery water. The transition from the one stage of desalination to the other is based on measurements of conductance. The desalination process is considered to be completed when the conductance's values are close to the conductance's value of tap water.
The mechanical cleaning included only the use of soft brushes since thin encrustations of salt were covering the surface of the figurine: no marine encrustations were present. The preservation condition of the colors was stable requiring no further stabilization of the colors.
The conservation procedure is important for various reasons: for preservation, restoration, scientific study, designation and final exhibition of the object.

Funding: Ministry of Culture and Sports