This work by Heinz Althöfer was published a number of years ago in Germany. It is dedicated to pictorial in-painting and the problems connected to it. The volume is divided in two parts; the first is dedicated to the history of pictorial in-painting going from the very first examples of antiquity to the practices of the 19th century; the second describes the various types of techniques used for the integrative interventions on a painting, ranging from those considered out-dated to the most recent applications.
Althöfer's work is current and pertinent to the theoretical debates in the field of painting restoration, and in particular to the delicate question of in-painting and integration, as well as its applied methodology.

Heinz Althöfer has studied in Bonn, Munich, Basel and Rome. He received his PhD from the University of Munich under the supervision of Hans Sedlmayr, with his thesis discussion at the University Heinrich-Heine in Düsseldorf. He has been visiting professor in various German and foreign universities, and has held various lecturer appointments internationally. He has more than one hundred articles to his credit as well as numerous books on the art of the 19th and 20th centuries. He his a Fellow of IIC (International Institute for Conservation) and is a member of ICOM (International Council on Museums. In 1976, he founded the Restoration Center in Düsseldorf in collaboration with Gabriele Henkel. He is considered the founder of the theory of restoration for contemporary art. From the 1960's he has had a fundamental role in the conservation and the restoration of modern and contemporary art.

Over the past few decades, an attitude of increased respect for mosaics - in light of their importance as historical documents - has matured. This fact has given rise to improved techniques in the conservation of these artistic works. In-depth knowledge, not restricted simply to the historical-artistic elements but also relating to the practical aspects of the techniques, the original materials, and materials used in past restorations, must constitute the basis for any intervention on a mosaic work. During an intervention, an in situ consolidation is preferable to the complete removal of the piece, in order to safeguard the graphic markings from the surrounding mosaics, along with all of the information these contain. In addition, by avoiding the removal of the piece, the inevitable trauma as a result of this operation is also avoided. An intervention consisting of a complete removal of the mosaic work should only be undertaken as a last resort to save the work. In the most recent restoration interventions, there has been a true collaboration among the various levels of responsibility involved in mosaic restoration. Furthermore, the rapid deterioration brought about by atmospheric pollution has called for greater involvement of the various scientific disciplines. From chemistry to physics, often there have been solutions to those problems for which there were no well-established methods in the restoration experience.

Cesare Fiori is an associate professor at the Department of History and Methods for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage (University of Bologna at Ravenna). He teaches chemistry for restoration and theory and techniques of restoration for archaeological artefacts in the department for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage at the same university, and has a long research experience in ceramics and mosaics. He is author and co-author of numerous technical scientific articles and monographs dealing with the study and the conservation of natural inorganic materials and objects that constitute part of the work of art, and specifically, mosaics.
Mariangela Vandini is a researcher for the Department of History and Methods for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage (University of Bologna at Ravenna). She teaches Archaeometry in the department for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage at the same university. She has numerous years of research in the field of archaeometrics and analysis of cultural heritage materials, especially mosaics, permitting their classification and cataloguing in support of conservative interventions.

The market for restoration products has always been considered too specialised for specific research initiatives. Restoration has always "borrowed" materials from other sectors. Specific evaluations on synthetic resins in terms of durability over time have not always been carried out; evaluations that could provide a good safety margin for the integrity of the works. This reader-friendly volume presents in a coherent fashion the materials now used in stone restoration (naturally extending to masonry and mortars), but without entering into overly complicated chemistry. The reader will find the description of the characteristics of the principle polymer classifications (however, not limited to only this) with particular attention for their practical uses, user safety guidelines, durability of the materials over time. There is also a concise example of the uses of commercial products on monuments, taken both from the literature as well as personal experiences of the author; and similarly, the results of comparative studies that have evidenced the problems of the sector. In essence, a work that is directed to restorers and personnel in the field aimed at clarifying the questions that arise "on the work-site".

Leonardo Borgioli received his university degree in chemistry from the University of Florence with a thesis on the micro-emulsions applied to the frescoes in the Brancacci Chapel in the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence. He has worked as a researcher for Syremont, and then directed his experience and energies to teaching and technical assistance for restoration products. He is currently the head of the technical-scientific department of C.T.S. srl.

The restoration of paper and paper-based materials has characteristics that make it particularly complex: the intrinsic fragility of the paper, the variety of heterogeneous materials that can be found on paper, the extreme manual precision required of the restorer. This volume is the result of an ever more insistent request by paper conservators for information on the most recent interventions methods. The translated contributions gathered in this volume describe on both theoretical and practical levels various types of interventions perfected in France and Germany: the use of enzymes, surfactants and solvent gels in the selective and localised removal of adhesives from paper-based materials. In the back of the volume, the applications of the experiences in these methods carried out in the laboratories of the Paper and Parchment Conservation Sector of the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence are reported.

Gerhard Banik teaches at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna and for the ICCROM Scientific Training Program in Rome. He carries out research in the field of paper conservation with specific reference to cleaning problems.
Paolo Cremonesi chemist; he is the Scientific Co-ordinator for CESMAR7 (Center for the Study of Materials for Restoration) in Padova; and is external collaborator with the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence.
Ariane de La Chapelle since 1990 has dealt with various topics of applied research in restoration, such as enzymology, watermark and paper research. She works as Chargée de Recerche for the Department of Graphic Arts at the Louvre Museum.
Letizia Montalbano is the head-technician restorer of paper and parchment at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, where , since 1985, she works and teaches restoration technique.