"THE RESTORATION OF PAINTINGS" BY KNUT NICOLAUS

"THE RESTORATION OF PAINTINGS" BY KNUT NICOLAUS, KONEMANN PRESS, HARDCOVER, 1999, ENGLISH EDITION, 422 PAGES, NO NAMES OR INSCRIPTIONS, IN EXCELLENT CONDITION

This book highlights the difficulties involved in trying to restore works of art, summarizing current knowledge in the field of painting conservation. Its primary audience is made up of artists, conservators, museum professionals, and art dealers. The book is divided into sections that deal separately with the main elements of a painting: wooden supports, ground layer, paint layer, and varnish. Materials are discussed, as are the causes of damage and the subsequent restoration techniques employed. A final chapter deals with the importance of documentation in conservation work, offering tips on written, graphic, videotaped, and photographic record-keeping with guidelines on how to photograph the art throughout the restoration process. The book is very technical and is geared to readers with some knowledge of the subject; not all of the esoteric terms are included in the glossary. Nonetheless, this is still a very useful study for art collections/collectors.