PRESERVATION OF WALLPAPERS AS PARTS OF INTERIORS

Discussing principles of conservation
Salvador Muñoz Viñas, the author of the widely-discussed
book Contemporary Theory of Conservation (2005), has stated that
classical conservation principles, such as reversibility, objectivity,
respect for truth and minimal intervention, can seldom be
fully applied. Sooner or later, it is necessary to discard them to
enable conservation to be reasonable and acceptable. According
to Muños Viñas, the classical conservation theories were
created to satisfy only a small circle of specialists, such as art
historians, archaeologists, chemists and physicists, but not necessarily
common people, who might use or encounter a conservation
object more frequently than a professional. To create an
acceptable outcome for all concerned, a conservator has to find
a balance between a scientific approach and the actual needs
and expectations of society.
Muños Viñas emphasizes that the current condition in which
an object exists is its true state. In his opinion, truth has little to
do with conservation. Conservation is about bringing an object
to a preferred state, which means that the object is adapted to
our preferences. 259 Therefore, conservation is a highly subjective
activity. Its results depend on someone’s expectations and personal
preferences. Everything but the current state of an object
is relative. Although the author agrees that conservation is a
subjective activity in which multiple preservation scenarios can
be discussed, this thesis aims to show that the ”preferred state”
is finally not completely relative. The conservator’s education
and his/her professional skills can be considered as objective
aspects of a conservation process.
Dealing with technical issues is fairly objective, which means
that for each preservation issue a certain number of solutions
exist. Aesthetics is, however, highly subjective, 260 and depends
on the viewer’s cultural and/or social background. Therefore,
every decision regarding the aesthetics of a room should be
considered carefully and justified according to the results of
259
Christabel Blackman Interview with Salvador Muñoz-Viñas about New Horizons for
Conservation Thinking, accessed February 21, 2013,
http://www.e-conservationline.com/content/view/627/195/. Summarized.
260
Edwards, “Conserving Cardiff Castle...”, 93.
146