Photograph of the Sie Welcome Center, part of the Denver Art Museum campus.

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staff rolling map onto sono tube
Conservation

Conserving a Ming Dynasty Map Made in Japan (Video & Photos)

This article tells the story of how the Denver Art Museum conserved this map. To learn more about the map itself read this article. No longer on view.

History, Artistry & Science

Traditional conservation embodies what I like to refer to as the “holy trinity” of disciplines: history, artistic competency, and science. The marriage of these three areas make conservation stand apart from restoration—or simply making something look good or better.
close up look at part of The Virgin of Valvanera painting with discolored varnish compared to the same portion when varnish was reduced
Conservation

The Virgin of Valvanera: Varnish

Artists have used varnishes to coat their paintings since the 1400s—some claim as early as the eleventh century. Varnishes serve to saturate the paint colors, provide some degree of protection for the paint surface, and to impart an even surface sheen. Some artists have used varnishes as an aesthetic medium, mixing resins into wet paint to create rich translucency or selectively applying them to juxtapose areas of matte and gloss.

Conservation & Varnish
A restorer’s pink putty (lower red circle) and greenish-white/brown oil overpaint (upper red circle) cover areas of paint loss.
Conservation

The Virgin of Valvanera: Examination In-Depth

For a painting that is over 300 years old, The Virgin of Valvanera is in remarkably good condition. One would fully expect that a painting of this age has undergone several attempts at restoration (by both skilled and amateur hands). Contrary to what is usually the case, this painting has not incurred major structural damage in the form of tears or losses, has never been lined (i.e. attached to a secondary canvas or solid support material), and has not been severely over-cleaned or extensively repainted.