The restoration of paintings is generally a serious business, more paintings get ruined by enthusiastic, careless restoration, than by fire. Restoration refers to the removal of surface dirt and discoloured varnish layers, the treatment of the support (canvas/wood/paper), the replacement of missing portions imitating the original by the sympathetic use of similar pigments, or building up fragments of sculpted or moulded areas of an artwork.
Treatment techniques and Steps of restoration oil painting
Oil painting, as we now know it, was fully developed by the 15th century, arguably defined by the work of Jan Van Eyck. Painting conservation treatment first undergoes a condition assessment to chart their state of conservation. Analytical tools such as ultraviolet and infrared photography, x-radiography, and multi-spectral imaging are routinely utilized.