As in any profession, the Conservator-Restorer is subject to a code of ethics, a framework and rules of conduct aimed at establishing a protocol of intervention that does not undermine the historical, physical-chemical and aesthetic integrity of the work. With a view first to conservation and then to aesthetics, his interventions must be minimalist and find the right balance between preventive conservation, curative conservation and restoration. From urgent, unavoidable and invasive care to simple protective and preventive measures, from the subjectivity of a look at the aesthetic question to the objectivity and neutrality of the historical point of view, the work of the conservator-restorer must meet complex and indispensable requirements to ensure the safety and respect of the work in its material, artistic and historical dimension.
To understand the limits set by this deontological code, the result of reflections on modern restoration by a panel of scientists and heritage professionals, we must first refer to Cesare Brandi in his 1963 book Theory of Restoration, to the Venice Charter which follows in 1964, then to the research and rules defined by Paul Philippot at ICCROM from 1971 to 1977 and of course to the ECCO Charter from which are extracted the most important principles :
DEFINITIONS OF RESTORATION BY CESARE BRANDI :
« The restoration constitutes the methodological moment of the recognition of the work of art, in its physical consistency and its double aesthetic and historical polarity, in view of its transmission to future generations. »
« Restoration should aim to restore the potential unity of the work of art, provided that this is possible without committing an artistic or historical forgery, and without erasing the slightest trace of the work of art’s passage in time. »
« […] the essential purpose of restoration is not only to ensure the subsistence of the work in the present, but also its transmission in the future : and since no one can ever be sure that the work will not need, in the future, other interventions, even merely conservative, it is necessary to facilitate and not exclude possible future interventions.”
Excerpts from his book La Théorie de la Restauration, 1963
THE THREE MAJOR RULES OF CONDUCT for the Conservator-Restorer based on the work of Cesare Brandi and Paul Philippot
Reversibility : « Any solution is temporary because it must be removable at any time without risk to the original paint. It is therefore advisable to apply reversible products. »
Stability : « Stability of materials over time and between materials. »
Legibility : « To restore an aesthetic unity to the whole work in order to avoid visual discontinuities that could hinder the reading of the iconographic subject. »
Excerpts from the Code of Ethics of l'ECCO (European Confederation of Conservator-Restorers' Organisations)
Article 3 : “[…] The Curator-Restorer may refuse in any circumstance a request that seems to him to be contrary to the rules or the spirit of the code of ethics. […]”
Article 5 : “The Conservator-Restorer must respect the aesthetic and historical significance and physical integrity of the cultural goods entrusted to him.”
Article 9 : “The Conservator-Restorer shall seek to use only products, materials and processes which, in accordance with the current level of knowledge, will not harm cultural property or the environment and people. The intervention and the materials used must not compromise, as far as possible, future examinations, treatments and analyses. They must also be compatible with the materials constituting the cultural goods and, if possible, be easily reversible.”