Painted Wood: History and Conservation

The function of the painted wooden
object ranges from the practical to the profound. These objects may perform
utilitarian tasks, convey artistic whimsy, connote noble aspirations, and
embody the highest spiritual expressions. This volume, illustrated in color
throughout, presents the proceedings of a conference organized by the Wooden
Artifacts Group of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and
Artistic Works (AIC) and held in November 1994 at the Colonial Williamsburg
Foundation in Williamsburg, Virginia.



The book includes 40 articles that explore the history and conservation of a
wide range of painted wooden objects, from polychrome sculpture and altarpieces
to carousel horses, tobacconist figures, Native American totems, Victorian
garden furniture, French cabinets, architectural elements, and horse-drawn
carriages.



Contributors include Ian C. Bristow, an architect and historic-building
consultant in London; Myriam Serck-Dewaide, head of the Sculpture Workshop,
Institut Royal du Patrimoine Artistique, Brussels; and Frances Gruber Safford,
associate curator of American decorative arts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
in New York. A broad range of professionals—including art historians, curators,
scientists, and conservators—will be interested in this volume and in the
multidisciplinary nature of its articles.