The history of art restoration in Italy, from the Middle Ages to the 1800s, from a viewpoint that takes account of "subjective" historical-critical knowledge and artistic experiences.
[History of art restoration and conservation] This History of restoration first appeared in 1973, at the urging of Roberto Longhi, author of its introduction. The volume, later revised in a more succinct form covering a longer period of time, also investigates the entire case of the Italian 1800s, with a discussion that makes it possible to reconstruct the genesis of the criteria that have guided conservation of artistic heritage in the 20th century.
The research has been conducted with present-day issues of restoration in mind, and with a precise intent: to underline, through a long historical view and detailed documentation, the limitations of a trend that often attempts to exclude as “subjective” any contributions to historical knowledge and artistic experience.
Two hundred illustrations, most of them in black and white, accompany the reader, facilitating comprehension of the text.