The Conservation Department is responsible for the preservation, conservation, investigation and display of the Victoria and Albert Museum's collections.
The Conservation Department is responsible for the preservation, conservation, investigation and display of the Victoria and Albert Museum's collections. Combining an expert knowledge of material science, outstanding practical expertise and underpinned by scientific analysis and research, staff are able to interpret deteriorated surfaces, evaluate the provenance, authenticity and restoration history of an object.
Conservation of the Mazarin Chest
Treatment of the Mazarin Chest took place within the Conservation Department at the V&A. Whilst restoration seeks to return things to a previous, more perfect state, conservation seeks to minimise deterioration and pass the object on to the future with as little permanent change as possible. The first step in the conservation of the Mazarin Chest was to understand as much as possible about how it was made. マザラン･チェストの保存修復はV&Aの保存修復部を現場として行われました。修復作業とは、対象資料を、元の、より完全な状態に戻すことを目的とするのに対して、保存作業とは、劣化を最小限に押さえ、恒久的な変化をなるべくもたらさずに、対象資料を将来に托すことを趣旨とします。マザラン･チェストの保存作業は、まず、その制作技法をできるだけ理解することから始まりました。
Conservation Case Studies: A Medieval Tabernacle from Cologne
This object, made around 1180, has been a highlight of the V&A's medieval collection since its acquisition in 1861. A recent conservation and research project in preparation for its display in the Medieval and Renaissance galleries in 2009 has brought to light new information about the container and given it a new function and name.
Conservation Case Studies: The Virgin and Child with Angels by Peregrinus
This painted panel dated 1428 was once part of a larger altarpiece commissioned by a wealthy merchant in the Central Italian city of Perugia. The altarpiece was originally placed in the church of San Domenico in Perugia, in the chapel of the Apostles, where it would have provided a focus for devotion and prayer.
Video: Conservation & Installation of the Cremona Ceiling
The V&A's Sculpture Conservation Team and Museum Technical Services describe how the Cremona ceiling was conserved and prepared for installation in the Medieval & Renaissance Galleries. The domed ceiling, painted in about 1500 by Alessandro Pampurino, was originally located in a ground floor room of the Casa Maffi in Cremona, Italy.
Video: Conservation of a Tunic from Egypt
In this video a V&A conservator undertakes a delicate restoration job. This fragile 8th century Egyptian tunic was one of the thousands of exhibits to be restored and re-displayed when the V&A's Medieval and Renaissance Galleries opened to in December 2009. Here, Elizabeth-Anne Haldane, Textile Conservator at the V&A, describes the conservation challenges involved.