The most successful work of a conservator often goes unnoticed. Yet colour changes when varnish is removed, form is reconstructed when loss is filled, and vision is directed when a frame is chosen. ‘Returning to the original’ sounds neutral, although deciding which historical moment counts as original is always an interpretation.nnModern conservation limits this power through reversible materials, detailed records and retouching visible at close range.
Ethics does not end with technique. Viewers should know what belongs to the artist and what belongs to later intervention. Restoration is not invisible magic but an interpretation of the past whose responsibility should be made public.
