JAIC 1987, Volume 26, Number 2, Article 1 (pp.
65 to 73)
CRITERIA FOR TREATMENT: REVERSIBILITY
Barbara Appelbaum
ABSTRACT—The author reconsiders the “Principle of Reversibility” by clarifying its definition
and by examining the variables that make a...
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JAIC 1987, Volume 26, Number 2, Article 1 (pp.
65 to 73)
CRITERIA FOR TREATMENT: REVERSIBILITY
Barbara Appelbaum
ABSTRACT—The author reconsiders the “Principle of Reversibility” by clarifying its definition
and by examining the variables that make a treatment reversible.
Different criteria for different
parts of a treatment are recommended.
The relationship between cleaning and reversibility is
examined.
There are degrees of reversibility; even irreversible treatments should be considered
in terms of whether they allow for future treatment (“re-treatability”).
The “Principle of Reversibility”1 is one of the basic tenets of the modern field of conservation.
The Code of Ethics of the American Institute for Conservation, however, was written mainly
with the treatment of paintings in mind.
Clearly, varnishing and inpainting are expected to be
reversible processes.
And, when the Code was written in the 1960s, wax linings were such an
improvement over glue linings
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