Search

Between 1789 and 1870, the ways in which works of art and collections as a whole were to be preserved were debated at length in France by collectors and by a wide array of those with a professional interest. They had a common aim: to prevent works from alteration and degradation owing to their treatment and method of display in private collections. The promotion of such protective measures at a time when private apartments were becoming increasingly accessible to visitors confirms that an awareness of the idea of common heritage was beginning to emerge. The environment in which paintings were kept was a source of major concern for the amateur, especially when it came to protecting works of art within his private apartments or in the course of travel. In attempting to address these problems, several patents were filed in France that sought to promote treatments aimed at preserving important works in private ownership, and a number of strategies were put forward for the restoration and protection of works of art, the treatment of varnishes and the hanging of paintings in domestic spaces. Patents registered for a number of inventions enable some of these preservation processes to be identified in detail.