Art conservation and restoration

Introduction
Architecture
- Effects of economic and social change
- Role of law
- Techniques of building conservation
Paintings
- Paintings on wood
- Paintings on canvas
- Wall paintings
- Paintings on ivory
- Paintings on paper
Prints and drawings on paper
Sculpture
- Stone sculpture
- Metal sculpture
- Wood sculpture
Decorative arts
- Furniture
- Glass and other vitreous materials
- Ceramics
- Textiles

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

Inside the ongoing preservation of the Vatican

Two stone gargoyles, one birdlike and one horned and crouching, perch on the edge of Notre-Dame Cathedral overlooking the rooftops of Paris.

Discover how the cornice of Chicago's Marquette Building was restored

The mystery and preservation of Angkor's temple complex

How graffiti can be removed from a masterpiece painting

Learn how pollution from industrialization in Europe damaged the limestone of Cologne Cathedral

At a Glance

art conservation and restoration summary

Related Questions

How are wall paintings different from murals painted on canvas and attached to a wall?
How can conservators reattach flaking paint on a wall painting?
How can damp cause timber in historic buildings to rot?
How can pigment analysis reveal that a painting is a forgery?
How can repairing roofs and drains help protect wall paintings?
How can rising damp damage a mural near ground level?
How can structural movement cause damage to historic buildings?
How can sulfur dioxide pollution damage lime-based wall paintings?
How can ultraviolet light infrared imaging and X-rays help detect art forgeries?
How did the Industrial Revolution encourage greater respect for historic buildings?
How do paper conservators repair tears and missing areas in paper artworks?
How do soluble salts damage ceramic objects?
How does buon fresco bind pigments to damp plaster?
How does changing humidity affect a canvas painting?
How does edge lining strengthen a weak canvas painting?
How does light exposure change the colours in paintings and works on paper?
How does the strappo technique remove a fresco from a wall?
How is fresco secco different from buon fresco?
What causes paint to flake or lift from the surface of a canvas painting?
What is efflorescence and how does it harm wall paintings?
What is lining in the conservation of canvas paintings?
What temperature and humidity conditions help preserve paintings on paper?
Which pests can damage drawings and prints on paper?
Why are Japanese tissues and starch pastes used to repair artworks on paper?
Why are roofs and drainage systems important in the conservation of old buildings?
Why are synthetic resins used as varnishes on some paintings?
Why can acid rain cause plaster and paint layers to crack?
Why can excessive heat and pressure during canvas lining damage a painting?
Why can faded pigments in an old painting usually not be restored to their original colour?
Why can moving a wall painting change its meaning or lessen appreciation of it?
Why can paintings made with bitumen develop a crocodile-skin pattern of cracks?
Why can poor-quality paper cause artworks to deteriorate even in careful storage?
Why can removing yellowed varnish from a painting be risky?
Why did William Morris and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings oppose conjectural architectural restorations?
Why do conservators document treatments with photographs and written reports?
Why do conservators make repairs to ceramic vessels reversible?
Why do conservators often preserve the patina on metal sculptures?
Why do conservators soak some ceramic objects in deionized water?
Why do conservators use suction tables when repairing canvas paintings?
Why do conservators usually prefer to treat wall paintings in their original locations?
Why do metal sculptures corrode when exposed to water and pollutants?
Why do museums limit light levels when displaying paintings?
Why is a detailed survey important before conserving an old building?
Why is moisture one of the greatest dangers to wall paintings?
Why is regular maintenance considered essential for building conservation?
Why is the stacco a massello method less intrusive than the strappo technique?
Why is ultraviolet light especially harmful to paintings on paper?
Why must conservators limit moisture when treating drawings on paper?
Why should conservators avoid sealing a damp wall painting with impermeable coatings?
What was the first rock festival in the United States?
Why is Woodstock a significant rock festival?
What is Lollapalooza?
Who founded Lollapalooza and why?
Who invented the photograph and why?
What was the first picture ever taken?
What was the first color photograph?
When did science begin?
Where was science invented?

Visual Arts

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art restoration - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

Art conservation and restoration

visual arts

Written by

Donald W. Insall

Principal Architect, Donald W. Insall and Associates (architects and planning consultants), London. Founding Commissioner, the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England. Author...

Donald W. InsallAll

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Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 8, 2026 •History

Art conservation and restoration, any attempt to conserve and repair architecture, paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures, and objects of the decorative arts (furniture, glassware, metalware, textiles, ceramics, and so on) that have been adversely affected by negligence, willful damage, or, more usually, the inevitable decay caused by the effects of time and human use on the materials of which they are made. The term art conservation denotes the maintenance and preservation of works of art and...

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