Historical and Philosophical Issues in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage

“A treasure that puts in perspective a subject of immense importance.”
—Museum News

"Before compiling these 46 diverse articles, the Getty Conservation team considered more than 300 documents. The result is a scholarly collection that attempts to show the relationship of art history to art conservation. The readings, many of which might not be readily found in common sources, are invaluable not only to students—the group targeted by the editors—but also to art historians, archaeologists, and conservators already engaged in the trade. The opening essays on art appreciation, written by notables such as Clive Bell and Kenneth Clark, have been included to show the relationship between connoisseurship and the need to preserve the past. Subsequent readings discuss past restoration practices and analyze procedures used today, and the texts can be difficult. Still, this is essential for art and academic libraries."
—Library Journal

"An extraordinarily rich compilation that invites us to reexamine the whole philosophical basis of our profession. . . . It is difficult to imagine how this anthology of a unique intellectual heritage could be bettered."
—David Bonford, National Gallery, London