The Conservation of Wall Paintings

Abstract

The Frescoes of Michelangelo on the Vault of the Sistine Chapel: Original Technique and Conservation Conservation of Central Asian Wall Painting Fragments from the Stein Collection in the British Museum Destruction and Restoration of Campanian Mural Paintings in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries Monitoring Wall Paintings Affected by Soluble Salts In Review: An Assessment of Florentine Methods of Wall Painting Conservation Based on the Use of Mineral Treatments viii ix 21 29 Foreword T he Getty Conservation Institute has devoted particular attention to the problems of wall paintings conservation. Collectively, wall paintings form a record of artistic, cultural, and intellectual developments of historical significance. The wall paintings of the tomb of Nefertari, in Egypt, have been the subject of an ongoing effort for the past six years that is coming soon to a close. Projects in Dunhuang and Yungang, in China, are just now underway to systematically study the causes of deterioration in the sites and to investigate strategies for their long-term protection. The Courtauld Institute of Art and the Getty Conservation Institute have been collaborating for six years in a wall painting conservation course, a unique three-year postgraduate-level training program. To facilitate an international dialogue and exchange of information among conservators, scientists, and historians involved in major wall paintings conservation projects, the GCI and the Courtauld Institute of Art organized a symposium on the subject in London in 1987. This symposium was part of the GCI's ongoing efforts to promote a multidisciplinary approach to conservation, to examine issues related to conserving cultural property in situ, and to provide specialized training in conservation. By publishing the symposium's edited papers, we hope to provide a current report on significant projects and developments underway in the field of wall paintings conservation.