The Structural Conservation of Panel Paintings

T

  work by the Division of Restoration for

Canvas and Panel Paintings at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure e

Laboratori di Restauro (OPD) in Florence.

The paintings described below were selected because of their varied con-

struction techniques and the conservation problems they pose, problems

that were not remedied by past restoration attempts. Presentation of these

works provides an opportunity to explain various options for the repair,

consolidation, and construction of support and control systems for panel

paintings. Effective examples of restoration have in common critical

methodologies that offer the least possible invasion ofthe artwork. All the

original components of the work are respected. It is understood that every

intervention to the wooden support entailing alterations, intrusions, or

substitution of support parts or of the control structures may give rise to

dangerous, difficult-to-control tensions and deformations in the wooden

construction.

Interventions were tailored for each painting with the aim of

designing a coordinated restoration plan that addressed each panel’s particu-

lar problems. To prepare for such a plan adequately, the data-gathering

phase in conservation is fundamental.

Understanding a work of art begins with the study of its original

construction technique, the state ofpreservation of all its constituent

materials, and any past restorations. Subsequently, the conservator should

select appropriate diagnostic tests that deepen this understanding and

assist in identifying past conservation attempts. Finally, the conservator

can outline a plan for the various restoration phases.

For the design of the plan, it is imperative to know the relative

humidity (RH) of the environment from which the painting came, as well

as how it will be exhibited in the future, so that the necessary steps can be

taken for climate control. If this information is not available, as is often

the case, or ifthere is too much uncertainty, the conservator will need to

apply a protection directly to the work, or in proximity to it, that is com-

patible with the principles already cited. It is hoped that these introductory

remarks and the presentations that follow make it clear that the author

does not believe in the existence of a miraculous substance or in a restora-

tion intervention that is capable of solving every kind of conservation

problem for panel paintings. Rather, it is possible to obtain good results by

General Criteria for

Conservation Intervention

316

Ciro Castelli

The Restoration of Panel Painting Supports

Some Case Histories