The Care of old paintings

For many hundreds of years, man has sought ways to protect the great masterpieces of paintings from the ravages of time. Of all works of art, paintings-whether on canvas, wood or plaster-are without doubt the most fragile. Plaster flakes off, wood rots, and canvas tears or wears away. Paints and pigments lose their brilliance, become grimy, crack and ultimately chip off. Even sudden changes in temperature can cause irreparable damage to paintings. Intense damp or dry weather, heat, cold, smoke or dust often have similar effects.

For long, two problems have faced art experts: how to protect these fragile treasures from disfigurement, and how to restore the original éclat to a disfigured painting.

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