ETHICS

There is a difference between conservation and restoration.

Conservation means a limited treatment where the aim is to prevent deterioration of the condition of the object. You can think of gluing shards to prevent loss, as is conceivable with archaeological finds, or of preventing further salt damage to tiles in historic interior spaces.
Certain types of damage can also make an object special. Iridescence is a good example of this, in which soil influences cause a typical damage to the surface. The most beautiful colors become visible. It provides information about the location, circumstances, and the material itself. It is also the job of the conservator to prevent information about manufacture or use from disappearing.

With a restoration one goes a step further to return the object to its original state where possible. The treatment goes much further in finishing where cracks, chips, gaps and larger missing parts can be filled in and retouched. Gilding and relief can also be retouched until an almost invisible restoration has been achieved.
There is consultation with the owner to choose a specific treatment. All materials used have been tested, chemically stable and, if possible, reversible.

It is important in restoration that the correct materials and techniques are used. Unfortunately, old restorations are often visible on objects, where more damage has been caused by the use of the wrong glue, sandpaper or use of pins. It is also fortunate that people themselves glued something in the past, otherwise it might have been lost ... Even the Romans already did this!

Reasons to choose for a restoration:

• To prevent loss of shards
• To make an object "readable" again
• To remove old restorations that are unstable and onesthetic for the object: old adhesive is often yellowed and brittle. In the past one used iron rivets, these can cause rust and damage the ceramic.
• To prevent further damage: stabilisation and consolidation

Restorations are carried out according to the so-called ethical code of the Association of Restorers: Restorers of the Netherlands.