Published information about the restoration of paintings prior to the twentieth century has been very limited despite the fact that extensive documentation exists in the archives of royal, public and private collections throughout Europe. Studies in the History of Painting Restoration reveals an interesting and detailed account of the materials and methods used, the interaction between restorer, curator and collector and the different philosophical approaches towards restoration and the care of paintings.
Contributors
Foreword
Restoration or renovation: remuneration and expectation in Renaissance 'acconciatura'
Anabel Thomas
The conservation of Netherlandish paintings in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries
Lorne Campbell
Miscreants and hotentots: restorers and restoration attitudes and practices in seventeenth and eighteenth century England
M. Kirby Talley, Jr.
The restoration of paintings in the Spanish royal collections, 1734-1820
Zahira Véliz
Restoration policy in France in the eighteenth century
Ann Massing
The history of painting conservation and the royal collection
Ian McClure
William Seguier and advice to picture collectors
Alastair Laing
Conservation at Dulwich Picture Gallery in the nineteenth century
Giles Waterfield
Approaches to restoration in English country houses
Christine Sitwell
An investigation into the domestic care of paintings in English country houses in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries
Jenny Rose
An asset to every (not just conservation) library, the book deals with several issues, and this overview of the history of paintings restoration is not only informative but often hilariously entertaining. It also raises important issues for our own understanding and proper reading of paintings, and approaches during current treatments.
Western Association for Art Conservation Newsletter 20(2) (May 1998) 28-29
