Any transfer of the so‑called Iberian ladies from the National Archaeological Museum (MAN) is said to cause irreparable damage, according to technicians from the Ministry of Culture. In a report outlining status and protection protocols for the Lady of Elche, the Lady of Baza, and the Lady of Cerro de los Santos, an interdisciplinary team comprising museum staff, the General Sub-Directorate of State Museums, and the Spanish Institute of Cultural Heritage (IPCE) argues strongly against moving pieces that are periodically requested from their origins. On 3 August, a Valencian cultural council initiative, led by Vicente Barrera, pressed for the return of a statue discovered about 125 years ago in Elche, framing the matter as a matter of common sense.
Mistress of Elche
The report stresses the sculpture’s fragile constituent material, ongoing presence of salts, and losses in the polychrome and decorative layers. It notes looseness in the stone support and the introduction of materials not original to the piece. The authors warn that any shift in environmental conditions caused by a possible transfer could trigger physical changes. They describe the risk as serious, given the emergence of new solution cycles and salt recrystallization, which could lead to surface loss for both the stone and the remaining polychrome. There is a risk of outward transfer that is deemed very high because the statue is currently kept in a delicate balance with its environment.
The report recalls work conducted by the Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Musées de France (C2RMF), including a multicolor study, and notes prior investigations led by Eduardo Torroja in 2005 into polychrome, support, shells, and superficial deposits encountered by IPHE. The CSIC Institute analyzed the remains of pigments, coatings, stones, and bone ash associated with the statue’s rear area, and these examinations underpin earlier refusals to transport the piece.
The analysis identified 17 representative decay points and 20 sampling points for soluble salts to assess the sculpture’s condition.
Base Lady
The report notes that changes in hygrometric conditions around the statue could set off a complex dissolution and crystallization process for sulfated salts. This, coupled with physical change mechanisms, could jeopardize the otherwise fragile polychrome. The resulting losses would amount to an irreparable decline in knowledge about this extraordinary cultural property. The Iberian culture as a whole is vulnerable because this piece largely preserves the original multicolor coating, applied over a plaster preparatory layer. Experts warn that any external transmission, by whatever means, could compromise the integrity of this highly significant work, which is a unique, multicolored artifact discovered underground within an archaeological context.
The report confirms pervasive ancient losses of polychrome and flags the potential risk of pigment separation as migration occurs across the crust, creating an inseparable, interdependent set.
It is emphasized that the statue was fragmented, with the head, throne wings, a left hind leg, and one armrest damaged, and that numerous losses were present.
Lady of Cerro de los Santos
The central issue here concerns the material properties of the engraving rock—a limestone noted for limited hardness and brittleness, with rapid losses in prominent areas such as the angle, edge, hand, and base. Nevertheless, this piece is considered the most robust among the trio and the least salt‑saturated, allowing display outside of a case, among the three items.
The working group, established in February 2022, pursued three phases: first, compiling and studying documentation on the sculptures; second, conducting a scientific and technical study using image acquisition and analysis to establish a methodology for ongoing conservation monitoring; and third, ensuring the implementation of monitoring protocols. Microsamples were taken and stored to enable future work without removing additional material from the sculptures.
The final conclusion for all three works states that current environmental variations could render them unsuitable for relocation, discouraging any removal from MAN. The studies stress that this material remains a key part of Spain’s historical heritage and represents a unique, multicolored artifact embedded in an archaeological context, including its tomb and original dowry.