ABSTRACT
Twelve marble figures representing lions constitute the main theme of a decorative fountain in the Court of Lions, in the Alhambra Palaces, in Granada, Spain. These stone sculptures are more than 8 centuries old from carving and were severely deteriorated. Due to the cold winters in Granada, water used to freeze in the mouth of each lion, which served as fountain sprout. The channels carved into the left forelimb, shoulder and tongue also suffered from ice expansion associated to the freezing of water, which led to the complete fracturing of the lions. Despite the adhesives technology incorporated into the restoration, it was considered convenient to maintain the more traditional means of metallic staples. In this paper, the characterization of their old material and the selection of new materials to be used in the staples are described.
