Author Description

The restoration of Leonardo da Vinci's famous cartoon The Virgin and Child with St. Anne and St. John the Baptist, vandalized by a shotgun blast, and the cleaning of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel frescoes have recently focused attention on the painstaking process of conserving works of art. The "detective" work, scientific research, and technical experimentation involved in conservation sometimes yield surprising results: a different composition may be discovered underneath the visible surface of a painting, or the reconstruction of fragments of a helmet or pot may force scholars to revise their ideas about how objects were made in antiquity. Conservators can also provide valuable information about an object's history, about past restoration techniques, and about faking. In this book, experts directly involved in the conservation of eleven important works of art made of different materials--including metals, wood, glass, ceramics, and textiles--describe the often nerveracking problems they faced, and the methods they used to overcome them. The introduction outlines the development of modern conservation techniques and current research, discussing as well changing attitudes to conservation and restoration and the ethical questions involved.