4TH INTERNATIONAL MEETING

ON RETOUCHING OF CULTURAL HERITAGE,

RECH 4
POSTPRINTS RECH 4 | CROATIA

ACADEMY OF ARTS, UNIVERSITY OF SPLIT

20th | 21st OCTOBER 2017
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The Organizing Committee would like to acknowledge the contribution of the

4th International Meeting on Retouching of Cultural Heritage, RECH4
the contribution of the members of the Advisory and Scientific Committees
Host Venue | Academy of Arts, University of Split
who made the selection of the communications and posters for the Meeting. 
Title | POSTPRINTS RECH4 CROATIA
We gratefully acknowledge the financial support and sponsorship of the
Editorial Coordinators | Ana Bailão, Sandra Sustic
Ministry of Science and Education of Croatia, the Ministry of Culture of the
Graphic Design | INEDITAR | Cristina Dordio
Republic of Croatia, the University of Split and the Split Student Centre. Special
Abstracts Proofreading | Graham McMaster
thanks goes to the Tourist board of Split, the City Museum of Split and the City
Venue and Date | Split, Croatia, 2017
of Split for their support in organising the social program of the Meeting. We
ISBN | 978-953-6617-42-5
express our gratitude to Split University Library and the Faculty of Chemical
Engineering and Technology for enabling us with the conference venue. We
would also like to thank the Split Department for Conservation for providing
Organizing Commitees
us with the workshop materials. Special thanks goes to RETES.HR print centre
and OPG Mateo Curić. We also express our gratitude to Gabriela Rocha and
Support
FabLab Lisboa (Portugal) and to Escola Artística e Profissional Árvore (Porto,
Portugal) for providing us with the conference badges.

2 3
 COMMITTEES

ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Visnja Bralic | Croatian Conservation Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
Sagita Mirjam Sunara | Arts Academy of the University of Split, Croatia

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE (alphabetical order)

Ana Bailão | CIEBA/ University of Lisbon | Catholic Portuguese University/ CITAR, Portugal
Ana Bidarra | Cinábrio, Conservação e Restauro | GeoBioTec Research Centre, Aveiro University,
Portugal
Francisco Silva | Árvore | Escola Artística e Profissional Árvore, Portugal
Frederico Henriques | Catholic Portuguese University/ CITAR, Portugal

LOCAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE (alphabetical order)

Jurica Matijevic | Arts Academy of the University of Split, Croatia
Lana Kekez | Arts Academy of the University of Split, Croatia
Sagita Mirjam Sunara | Arts Academy of the University of Split, Croatia
Sandra Sústic | Arts Academy of the University of Split, Croatia
Tina Tomsic | Arts Academy of the University of Split, Croatia

TECHNICAL COMMITTEE
Krešimir Bosnić | Arts Academy of the University of Split, Croatia
Nikola Radošević | Arts Academy of the University of Split, Croatia
Stjepan Krešić | Arts Academy of the University of Split, Croatia
Bernarda Đurić | Arts Academy of the University of Split, Croatia
Mateo Curić | Freelancer, Croatia
Josip Pašalić | Arts Academy of the University of Split, Croatia
Nikolina Drlje | Arts Academy of the University of Split, Croatia
Silvija Matas | Arts Academy of the University of Split, Croatia
Katarina Strinić | Arts Academy of the University of Split, Croatia
Marija Curić | Arts Academy of the University of Split, Croatia
Lucija Jolić | Arts Academy of the University of Split, Croatia

4 5
 SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE (alphabetical order)
Ana Bailão | CIEBA/ University of Lisbon | Catholic Portuguese University/ CITAR, Portugal
Ana Bidarra | Cinábrio, Conservação e Restauro | GeoBioTec Research Centre, Aveiro, Univ., Portugal
REGISTERED AUTHORS ÍNDEX
Ana Calvo | Complutense University, Madrid, Spain
Agnès Le Gac | FCT - New University of Lisbon/LIBPhys-UNL, Portugal
Ana Martins | Museum of Modern Art, MoMa, New York, USA
Arianne Vanrell | Museo Nacional Centro Reina Sofía, Madrid, Spain
Alicia Sanchez Ortiz | Complutense University, Madrid, Spain
Alice Nogueira Alves | Fine Arts Faculty of the University of Lisbon/CIEBA, ARTIS, Portugal
Antonino Cosentino | Cultural Heritage Science Open Source, Italy
Barbka Gosar Hirci | Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia Alba Guerrero Kristina Krivec

Branko Pavazza | Croatian Conservation Institute, Croatia Amparo Escolano Mena Lana Kekez

Cristina Montagner | Centre of Physics, Campus de Gualtar, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal Ana Bailão Leonardo Severini

Emmanuelle Mercier | Institut Royal du Patrimoine Artistique, Bruxelles, Belgium Ana Bidarra Leonor Loureiro

Estelle De Groote | Institut Royal du Patrimoine Artistique, Bruxelles, Belgium Ana Carolina Rodrigues Ferreira Liliana Querido Cardeira

Élia Roldão | Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Caparica, Portugal Ana Oblak Maja Sučević Miklin

Francesca Tonini | Ca´Foscari University in Venice | University of Urbino, Italy Anita Klančar Kavčič Mara Kolić Pustić

Fernando Costa | Polytechnic Institute of Tomar, Portugal Antonija Gluhan Marisol Valenzuela

Frederico Henriques | Catholic Portuguese University/ CITAR, Portugal Bakonyi Tímea Martina Bagatin

Helena Melo | Évora University/HERCULES Lab/Évora University, Portugal Beatriz Doménech García Martina Lesar Kikelj

Isabel Argerich | InstItuto del Patrimonio Cultural de España, Madrid, Spain Eve Bouyer Martina Vuga

Isabel Tissot | Archeofactu & LIBPhys-UNL, Portugal Branko Pavazza Mladen culic

Ilaria Saccani | CESMAR7, Italy Brian Baade Paolo Roma

José Manuel de la Roja | Complutense University, Madrid, Spain Clara M. Prieto Pedro Antunes

Laura Fuster-López | Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain Dorotea Krstić Rosa Senserrich-Espuñes

Leonor Loureiro | Polytechnic Institute of Tomar, Portugal Nancy von Breska Ficovic Ruben Morales

Lorraine Mailho | C2RMF, France Emmanuelle Mercier Sagita Mirjam Sunara

Luís Pereira | Água de Cal - Conservação e Restauro, Portugal Erika Rabelo Sandra Šustić

Lucija Močnik Ramovš | University of Ljubljana, Slovenia Filip Adrian Petcu Sanela Huzjak

Mara Kolic Pustic | Croatian Conservation Institute, Croatia Francesca Tonini Sara Aničić Eterović

Ricardo Triães | Polytechnic Institute of Tomar, Portugal Frederico Henriques Serena Francone

Rocío Bruquetas | Museo de América, Spain Gabor Erdei Simona Pannuzi

Rui Bordalo | Évora University/HERCULES Lab/Évora University, Portugal Ivana Letilović Simona Škorja

Rubén Morales | Complutense University, Madrid, Spain Julija Baćak Stefano Scarpelli

Silvia García Fernández-Villa | Complutense University, Madrid, Spain Jure Matijević Tina Tomšić

Sandra Sústic | Arts Academy of the University of Split, Croatia Katarina Alamat Kusijanovic Vanessa Ubaldi

Stefano Scarpelli | Private conservation-restoration studio, Florence Katarina Tomaš Visnja Bralic
Kristin deGhetaldi

6 7
 FOREWORD

The retouching process is one of the last steps of a conservation and

restoration intervention. Expectations are normally high and conservators are
continuously challenged to acquire innovative techniques and new materials to
satisfy this need. One important part of retouching is to use and incorporate
materials with long-term durability, but always based on the concept of minimal
intervention. The accomplishment of these expectations entails a detailed
diagnosis and planning of the treatment with attention to function, to aesthetics
and to the stability of the materials. Communication is the key word for a good
intervention. Proper communication will not only enhance the conservator–
owner relationship but also provide greater acceptance of the treatment
planning. The evolution of digital technology has created exciting opportunities
for improving this communication process and to facilitate a smooth workflow,
from diagnosis to the final treatment and maintenance phase.
The International Meetings on Retouching of Cultural Heritage (RECH),
initiated in 2013, have gained an international audience, bringing together
conservation-restoration professionals, academic members, students and
independent researchers from across the world. The conferences aim to
promote the exchange of ideas, concepts, terminology, methods, techniques
and materials applied during the retouching process in different areas of
conservation.
This postprints presents the articles of the fourth edition of RECH that took
place in Split (Croatia) from October 20th to October 21st, 2017 and was
jointly organised by members of the Escola Artística e Profissional Árvore,
the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Lisbon, the Arts Academy of
the University in Split, the Catholic University of Portugal, the Cinábrio and
University of Aveiro.The Scientific Committee, consisting of renowned experts

8 9
 in the conservation-restoration field, selected 24 abstracts for communications
and 16 abstracts for poster sessions, not all publish here. The titles cover a
wide range of topics - from digital options for documentation, diagnosis and
ÍNDEX | COMMUNICATIONS
treatment, to new solutions and materials for filling and retouching of losses.
The organizers give their thanks to all the members of the RECH Committees
for their diligent work in setting up the programme and to the sponsors for
their generous support.

Ana Bailão on behalf of the Organizing Committee

Sandra Šustić on behalf of the Local Organizing Committee

10 11
 C
22 An opportunity to reflect on differentiated retouching techniques used in Italy:
methods and materials. Problem solving in a private practice context.
Leonardo Severini

28 The bad reputation of neutral retouching

Eve Bouyer

38 Baroque Master Mattia Preti and his workshop: two series of four evangelists from
Dubrovnik
Maja Kolić Pustić, Carlo Galliano Lalli, Nancy von Breska Ficović

46 “All Saints are in the detail“: Retouching of a painting by Girolamo da Santa Croce
Katarina Alamat Kusjanović; Sandra Šustić

56 The suitability of powdered micro-cellulose for its use in paper conservation

Rita Udina, Amparo Escolano

66 The use of Aquazol® 500 as a binder for retouching colours: analytical investigations
and experiments
Vanessa Ubaldi, Roberto Bestetti, Roberto Franchi, Emanuela Grifoni, Pier Paolo Lottici, Francesca
Modugno, Richard Wolbers, Daphne De Luca

80 PVAC Retouching Colors: a brief history and introduction to Goldens’s newly

formulated PVA. Conservation Colors
Kristin deGhetaldi, Brian Baade, Joyce Hill Stoner, Jim Hayes, Samantha Alderson

88 Using watercolour markers in chromatic reintegration

Liliana Cardeira, Ana Bailão, João Linhares, Sérgio Nascimento

98 Filling and colour reintegration in a single step

Martina Vuga

106 Retouching methods on the albumen and coloddion photographic processes from
the Croatian State Archives
Martina Bagatin

112 Dealing with unsuitable retouches: the steps toward successful reintegration
Ana Oblak

120 Use of coloured synthetic fillers: the case of St Nicolas, a Baroque painting by
Fortunat Bergant
Simona Škorja

12 13
 130 Mapping lacunae for chromatic reintegration with computer graphics software
Frederico Henriques, Ana Bailão, Rui Bordalo, Agnés Le Gac, Alexandre Gonçalves, Liliana
Cardeira, Eduarda Vieira, António Candeias
ÍNDEX | POSTERS
138 Gold and polychromy on stone: a proposal of retouching methodology that can
apply on all tridimensional artworks
Simona Pannuzi, Marisol Valenzuela, Daria Montemaggiori, Giorgia Galanti

144 “The golden stain of time”: the inpainting of gildings on wooden sculpture
Emmanuelle Mercier, Erika Benati Rabelo

152 A case study on reconstruction of the faux marble paint layer on a baroque wooden
tabernacle
Maja S. Miklin

160 Retouching approaches to artwork on paper in the laboratory for conservation and
restoration at the Croatian State Archives. Retouching of a Watercolour Landscape
and a Map of Zadar from the 19th Century
Sanela Huzjak

166 Approaches to the conservation treatment and chromatic reintegration on

watercolours, charcoal drawings, and a lampshade handpainting
Leonor Loureiro

176 The photographic retouching as fundamental intervention

Rubén Morales González

14 15
 P
188 Influence of lighting sources in the processes of colour reintegration
Beatriz Doménech, Vicente Guerola Blay, María Castell Agustí

194 Chromatic reintegration in late 19th century albumen prints: analysing and testing
different methodologies in Calouste Gulbenkian´s albums
Alba Guerrero

200 Selective removal of layers in layered systems of retouching: research project in

progress
Sagita Mirjam Sunara, Dorotea Krstić

206 Reconstructing of The Sappho painting towards a better understanding in

retouching
Marija Lena Bosković, Sandra Šustić

212 The issue of metamerism in Mario Agrifoglio’s paintings. Identification of fluorescent

pigments through raman spectroscopy to define a methodology for retouching
Serena Francone, Silvia Bruni, Chiara Zaffino, Katia Galli, Vittoria Guglielmi, Maddalena Boscacci

218 Retouching religious paintings – examples from private practice

Lana Kekez, Kristina Krivec, Julija Baćak

226 Calcium hydroxide nanoparticles for wall painting retouching. The chapel of Saint
Michael in the Royal Monastery of Pedralbes, Barcelona
Rosa Senserrich-Espuñes, Lidia Font-Pagès

232 Retouching a double-sided 19th century processional flag-icon

Filip Adrian Petcu

244 Selecting methods for retouching a polychrome and gilded altarpiece with elements
dating from different periods
Sara Aničić Eterović, Ivana Letilović, Katarina Tomaš

248 Mixing and matching. A survey of retouching materials

Ana Bailão, Liliana Cardeira

256 Fernando Mardel, a portuguese painter-restorer. Retrospective of his retouching

work
Carolina Rodrigues Ferreira, Fernando António Baptista Pereira, António Candeias, Mercês
Lorena

16 17
 264 The reconstruction of three strongly damaged panel paintings of a 16th century
Sienese predella
Ágnes Kuna, Tímea Bakonyi, Erdei Gábor

270 Inpainting in Exhibition

Clara M.Prieto

18 19
 COMMUNICATIONS
20 Nome artigo 21
 Keywords
Neutral;
Visible restoration;
Aesthetics;
THE BAD REPUTATION OF Ethics;
Terminology. Other restorers such as Filippo Fiscali
NEUTRAL RETOUCHING completely aligned with Cavalcaselle’s
recommendations. Fiscali is responsible
for an interesting example of neutral
integration made around 1890 on
1. INTRODUCTION Benozzo Gozzoli’s frescoes at San
Eve Bouyer Francesco Church in Montefalco .
[4]

A neutral restoration can be done
Centre de Recherches en Archéologie et Patrimoine, Université libre de Bruxelles; CP 133/01, Avenue F.D. Roosevelt, 50, B-1050 Brussels; Eve.
Bouyer@ulb.ac.be on any multicolour object: paintings,
polychrome sculptures, decorated
ceramics, posters, etc.
The term “neutral” can be
understood in different – even
contradictory – ways, as will be
shown in the third part of this paper.
Broadly, “neutralising” means reducing
the inconvenience caused by lacunas
without reconstructing them.
2. HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
ON THE USE AND REPUTATION
OF NEUTRAL RETOUCHING
Abstract Although the term “neutral” was most
likely used first in the field of painting
This paper reviews the notion of neutral retouching in conservation. restoration, neutral interventions
This approach, since its first use in the 19th century, has always had proponents
were realised earlier in other fields.
and detractors. Today, the distrust of the notion is such that we could say it suffers
A red-figured vase restored around
from a bad reputation.
1830-40 is evidence of this: it still has a
The meaning ascribed to the term “neutral” can differ from one author to another.
lacuna filled with a flat uniform colour
The terminological validity of the word is problematic in itself: conservators need
to be cautious when using it. matching the underlying reddish
For ethically conscious conservators, it is important to overcome the lack of colour [1].
popularity of neutral retouching and to give it the attention it deserves. Marco Ciatti attributes the first explicit
textual reference to neutral retouching
to the Italian art historian Giovanni
Battista Cavalcaselle (1819-1897) [2]
who stated that restorations should
be recognisable to the naked eye in
order for scholars not to be deceived.
Directly influenced by Cavalcaselle’s
ideas, the first neutral integration
on a painting was made in 1858-
1861 by Gaetano Bianchi, on Piero
della Francesca’s frescoes depicting
the legend of the true cross, in the
San Francesco Church in Arezzo
[3; 4]
Once he had attained a ministerial
post, Cavalcaselle imposed neutral
toning throughout the recently united
Italian Kingdom via a circular published
30 January 1877, which states lacunas
were to be filled with a colour
matching but less intense than the
surrounding colour(s) .
[2; 4]
Neutral toning quickly became the
subject of controversy and some
restorers, such as Cosimo Conti,
clearly expressed their disagreement
with the ministerial guidelines [4]
In The Death of the Knight of Celano,
an extensive lacuna was filled with a
, single brown colour matching the
predominant colour of the scene but in
a duller version (a colour photograph
can be seen on the Wikiart website [5]).
The ministerial guidelines were
mentioned in Conservare o restaurare?,
the famous 1893 essay by Camillo
Boito written in the form of a dialogue:
“Veda, per i quadri e per i dipinti a
buon fresco un ordine circolare del
.
Ministero impone che le lacune ed i
buchi si riempiano di tinta neutra tutta
uguale, sicché il riguardante non possa
venire menato per il naso dall’abile
restauratore” [6].
(You see, for panels and frescoes,
a ministerial circular requires that
lacunae and holes are filled with
uniform neutral tint, so the viewer
cannot be led by the nose by the
skilled restorer).
The lines following this quote
indicate the existence of an early
. debate about neutral restoration. One
 protagonist in Boito’s dialogue claims
that it disrupts aesthetic pleasure, and
is unjustified where completion is non-
conjectural. The other responds that,
to him, having doubts concerning the
painting’s authenticity is much more
disruptive [6; 7]
. retouching
Another early critique of neutral
retouching was formulated in 1903
by the architect Giuseppe Sacconi,
who was in charge of the restoration
work in the upper Basilica of Assisi.
Commenting on Giotto’s St Francis
mourned by St Clare, he wrote that
the choice of a single neutral colour
for a painting can be wrong: “In many
areas, it will appear dark against light,
and vice versa…and will be more
disturbing to the eye than a simple
loss of paint from the intonaco” [4].
Neutral retouching had a lot of
success in Germany in the 1920s and
in Europe in the mid-20th century
[8; 9]
This can be linked to a purist tendency
called “archaeological” or “analytical
restoration” that strongly rejected
illusionism . Artworks were perceived
[3]
merely as historical documents, and
their aesthetic value was put aside.
In the name of authenticity, later
additions were systematically removed
and all losses were treated with a
minimal, “archaeological” approach,
where neutral integrations were the
logical choice.
30 Eve Bouyer
Even if quite popular, neutral toning
coexisted with more reconstructive
approaches ,
[2]
and kept being
criticised: German publications in 1928
reflected a profound debate between
proponents and detractors of neutral
. The same publications
[10]
show that neutral restoration was
often executed using grey .
[10]
Cesare Brandi reacted to the success
of neutral retouching by promoting a
new compromise – the tratteggio. For
the sake of the artwork’s “potential
unity”, he advocated for a more
reconstructive but still recognisable
approach. However, he thought
that “where conjecture begins” (to
quote Article 9 of the 1964 Venice
Charter), the lacunas were not to be
reconstructed, even with recognisable
retouching techniques. For these non-
reconstructible losses, he proposed
.
some kind of neutral restoration.
Connoisseurs of Brandi’s work might
– rightly – disagree that he did so,
as he famously criticised the idea of
neutral colour.
On one hand, Brandi highlighted
a terminological nonsense: neutral
colours do not really exist, because
any colour will always alter the
perception of the artwork. On the
other hand, he disagreed with how
those around him executed neutral
retouching: with colours resembling
the original ones. Influenced by the
Gestalt theory of visual perception,
he believed that such colours do not
blend in, but on the contrary impose
themselves and thus transform
lacunas into figures that interfere with
the painting’s legibility.
He prescribed the use of colours
that force the lacunas to look like they
are on another level than the painting:
in the foreground or – preferably
– in the background . One could
[11]
consider this as some kind of neutral
restoration, since it was intended to
reduce the inconvenience caused
by non-reconstructible lacunas (in
the broad sense mentioned at the
beginning of this paper).
Similarly, Laura and Paolo Mora and
Paul Philippot considered some losses
non-reconstructible and wrote that
“neutral tint” is “a totally inadequate
term and a wrong notion, the misuse
of which is usually nothing more than
an excuse for avoiding the critical
problem”. They recommended filling
these losses in with the natural texture
and colour of the arriccio [12].
In the same vein, Umberto Baldini
considered that some lacunas are
reconstructible, while others
not. For the former, he devised the
selezione cromatica and for the latter, a
new and very elaborate form of neutral
retouching: the astrazione cromatica
Neutral toning embodies a purist
tendency in conservation that
flourished over a few decades of the
20th century. Brandi can be seen as
a starting point for a reaction against
this purism. The famous painting
conservator Helmut Ruhemann is
a prime example of this change in
attitude. Initially, he promoted neutral
retouching: in a 1931 paper, he
explained that in order to “neutralise”
the effect of paint losses, he used
flat colours similar to either those
surrounding the lacunas or the
brownish underpainting . But in
[14]
1968, he declared himself against “too
visible” retouchings, acknowledging
reconstructive ones, tratteggio
included .
[15]
Conservators used to worry mainly
about the material authenticity of
artworks, in reaction to past excesses
of deceptive and unethical restoration.
But with the consolidation of ethical
guidelines in conservation practice
(reversibility and no overpainting of
the original), attention to aesthetics
regained its original importance.
This helps explaining why neutral
retouching increasingly earned a bad
are reputation. This is made obvious by
the fact that today the term “neutral”
is frequently used within quotation
marks and/or preceded by the
.
[13]
locution “so-called” [3; 9; 16]. This clearly
suggests that neutrality is a myth in
restoration.
Critique might have reached
a paroxysm in a book by Knut
Nicolaus published at the end of the
1990s in several languages. Nicolaus
associates neutral toning with a form
of dogmatism, which is a severe
accusation. And even more extreme, he
states that he observed its use mainly
among conservators who struggle with
mimetic or normal retouching [17].
3. WHAT IS REALLY MEANT BY
“NEUTRAL” ?
Meanings ascribed to the term
“neutral” can be contradictory and
lead to misunderstandings. This is
well illustrated by a short LinkedIn
discussion entitled “The Diplomatic
Neutral Colour” . It was launched
[18]
Figure 1 • P
 aper poster, «In the name of peace and progress!», Valentin Viktorov, 1959 © Rita Udina
(http://ritaudina.com/
in 2017 by Rita Udina, a book and
paper conservator from Spain. She
wrote that it can be a “good solution”
and provided a link to her personal
weblog showing an example of
neutral retouching on a poster, with
a flat uniform blue colour closely
matching the one surrounding the
large lacuna [19] (figure 1).
Sheila Landi, a textile conservator
in the UK, strongly reacted to the
LinkedIn post, writing, “There is
no such thing. As far as textiles are
concerned trying to dye a ‘neutral
colour’ it always ends up too green,
too pink or too yellow. If used as a
background for other colours all the
so called neutral colour does is kill the
object stone dead.”
A first observation is that “neutral”
might not be as “diplomatic” as the title
of Udina’s post suggests. Secondly, Landi
The bad reputation of neutral retouching
31
 Figure 2 • Bowl with the Martyrdom of St Lorenzo, majolica from Urbino by the Painter of the
basin of Apollo, ca 1521–1532; International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza, ac. n°
4974 (A. Orombelli donation, 1952) © Faenza, Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche

surrounding colour. clay body etc.) or of another layer

It was mentioned (coloured preparation, intonaco,
by Helmut ceramic’s white glaze etc.). This
Ruhemann [14]
option was mentioned by Paolo and
and in the 1940 Laura Mora and Paul Phillipot [12]

Manual on the and by Helmut Ruhemann [14]. It is

and Udina most likely have a completely
different understanding of the term
“neutral”. Indeed: a neutral colour might
mean either matching a colour that
appears on the original or choosing
one extraneous to the original.
The 1940 Manual for
Conservation of Paintings proves
that this terminological ambiguity
conservation
paintings .
[20]
A second option is
choosing the colour that
predominates on the whole
object (figure 2). The author of this
paper proposes calling this option the
predominant colour. This corresponds
to the definition of neutral tint
provided by Ségolène Bergeon, who
gives a good example: Pietro Perugino’s
Resurrection from a predella with
the scenes of the life of St Jerome, in the
Louvre, where grey was chosen for its
predominance in the scene [21].
of sometimes called “natural neutral” [8]
or “background colour” .
[22]
In most instances, there is a drastic
difference between the predominant
and the underlying options, but with
some artworks, they can be the same
colour (figure 4).
Aside from these three options,
one can otherwise choose colours
extraneous to the original.
Indeed, when choosing one of the
original colours seems difficult or
Figure 5 • Bowl with Griffin, luster-painted earthenware from Egypt,
Figure 4 • Mina’i jar, polychrome stonepaste from Iran, 12th–13th century; The
Metropolitan Museum of Art, ac. n° 17.120.183 (Bequest of Isaac D. 11th century; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, ac. n° 1970.23
Fletcher, 1917) © The Metropolitan Museum of Art (www.metmuseum. (Louis E. Seley gift, 1970) © The Metropolitan Museum of Art
org) (www.metmuseum.org)
visually inappropriate, it is possible to Annunciation, both conserved in the show an undertone, such as beige,
select a new one that resembles a National Gallery and showing grey taupe, off-white etc.
“blend” of the colours surrounding neutral integrations [9]. Neutral grey is frequently mentioned
the lacuna (figure 5). The author of • The 1990 restoration of Piero in the literature, and apparently had a
this paper proposes calling this an della Francesca’s frescoes in Arezzo, great success in Germany as early as
intermediate colour, term used in a particularly the scene depicting the the 1920s [8; 10]. It was devised with the
paper by Meg Loew Craft [23]. An alien victory of Constantine, which shows good intention of being unobtrusive:
colour is applied to the object, but it grey and beige neutral integrations because grey is supposed to be the
still somewhat ressembles the original (colour photographs can be seen on result one would obtain by mixing all
colours. In some cases, especially when an interactive online feature ).
[25]
colours together, it was thought to be
the object shows a high contrast ratio, • The 2000s restoration of a compatible with all original colours
it might result in a dirty-looking colour, fresco cycle in the Neues Museum . This usage was however soon
[10]

is not new. The adjective “neutral”
was indeed used twice in the book:
first, it mentioned a “neutral tint that
matches the surrounding colour”,
then referred to “neutral grey” .
[20]
When matching (more or less
closely) a colour that appears on
the original, there are at least three
options.
First, matching the main colour that
surrounds a lacuna (figures 1 and 6).
Because of the multiple meanings of
the word “neutral”, the author of this
paper proposes calling this option the
A third option is choosing a colour which is not very pleasing to the eye .
[24]
of Berlin: Aus dem Sagenkreis criticised. Already in 1940, the Manual
that lies under the original surface, The fifth and last option the author der Edda, by Gustav Heidenreich, on the Conservation of Paintings
and that was not necessarily identified is an extraneous colour Gustav Richter and Robert Müller; called it “a fiction: it will always assume
visible when the object was which is not chosen for having a devastated during the Second the complementary tones of the
in pristine condition (figure resemblance to the original colours World War, it shows today grey neighbouring colours, thus introducing
3). The author of this paper but because it is supposed not neutral integrations. an alien element into the painting” [20].
proposes calling this an to influence their perception. We Here, we approach the definition of The same observation was made in
underlying colour. This colour propose to call this an unrelated neutral colour from fields other than 1968 by Ruhemann: “However grey a
can be that of the support colour. In practice, it is often a grey conservation. To colour specialists, tinge may be in itself, the neighbouring
medium (wood, canvas, arriccio, or beige colour. Some interesting neutral precisely means achromatic or surrounding colour will give it, by
examples are: colours: pure black, pure white and contrast, a more colourful hue; and
Figure 3 • Basin with the Presentation of the Head
of Pompeo to Caesar, majolica from • The 1940 restoration of Lorenzo pure greys. Interior designers generally the most important rule is not to
Casteldurante, ca 1535–1540; International
Monaco’s Coronation of the Virgin, include as well colours similar to introduce any alien shade into the
Museum of Ceramics in Faenza, ac. n° 10570
(M. Pedicini donation, 1960) © Faenza, Museo and the 1982 restoration of Duccio’s achromatics but that nevertheless painting; if grey is not in it, none must
Internazionale delle Ceramiche

32 Eve Bouyer The bad reputation of neutral retouching 33


Figure 6 • Bowl with Susanna and the Elders, majolica from the Fontana workshop in Urbino, ca 1545–
1550; International Museum of Ceramics in Faenza, ac. n° 6156 © Faenza, Museo Internazionale
delle Ceramiche
be added” . These comments have
[15]
something in common with those
written by Sheila Landi; the author of
this paper thinks that she might have
had this understanding of the term
“neutral” in mind when she reacted
to Rita Udina’s post.
Apart from these purely chromatic
issues, executing a neutral retouching
does not necessarily mean filling in all
the lacunas of a given object with the
same colour. It can also correspond
to using several colours depending
on the areas. It can be one colour per
lacuna (figure 6) or several colours in
the same lacuna that indicate the lost
shapes without reconstructing details,
as suggeted by Dimitrios Doumas [26].
Good examples of neutral
34 Eve Bouyer
integration with several colours in the
same lacuna include:
• The 1958 restoration of the
main panel of Giovanni da Milano’s
polyptych conserved in the Museo
civico del Prato, qualified as “matching
neutral” by Marco Ciatti . [2]
• The 1972 restoration of two
panels by Ugolino di Nerio (Isaiah
and a diptych with Saints Simon and
Thaddeus), both conserved in the
National Gallery: they are considered
neutral by some authors because of
their flat unmodulated colours
Other examples can be seen in
the European Illustrated Glossary of
Conservation Terms for Wall Paintings
and Architectural Surfaces [16] and in a
paper by Dimitrios Doumas
[26]
Not everyone considers this option
as neutral; Jilleen Nadolny calls it
“suggestive differentiated retouching”
. Indeed, it is partially – but still not
[8]
fully – reconstructive.
Finally, a neutral retouching does
not necessarily mean a flat uniform
colour. Some authors acknowledge
that neutral can correspond to
heterogeneous colours, notably those
obtained with divisionist retouching
techniques [8; 21]. It might be tratteggio,
chromatic abstraction, pointillism
(figure 6) or other means of making
colours less flat (figure 4), such as the
sponge technique.
“Neutral” can mean almost anything
to conservators (table 1). Should the
term, which is often criticised and placed
within quotation marks, be banished
from the field of conservation? At the
very least, it should be used with caution.
Its use might be especially problematic
when qualifying nouns that imply a
concrete visual fact, such as colour, tone
or tint. Indeed, as claimed by several
authors, no colour/tone/tint can really
be neutral. Even if a pure grey is neutral
in isolation, it will not remain so when
.
[9; 17]
placed in a colourful context, which will
induce chromatic interactions. Thus, it
might be best to avoid such a wording.
But maybe the adjective could keep being
used when describing a human action,
.
such as retouching or reintegration?
Conservators tend to understand the
term as it is used in chemistry, where
neutral has a completely objective
sense (neither basic nor acidic)
and implies something completely
innocuous, without any effect. This is
of course completely impossible with
reintegration issues: any choice will
always affect perception of the artwork.
But if we consider the term’s other
uses – in geopolitics, law or sociology
for instance – neutrality does not
necessarily mean having no impact at
all but rather “not taking sides”, staying
as impartial as humanly possible.
In this sense, the term “neutral” might
be valid. Indeed, any neutral retouching
will strongly influence the appearance of
the artwork: it is not neutral as a visual
fact. But it can be considered neutral as
a human action, in that it expresses the
desire to avoid influencing the viewer’s
opinion on what used to occupy the
lacunas and, in the meantime, to simply
admit that the truth is unknown.
Table 1 • Summary of neutral options
TYPE OF COLOUR
matching the original
extraneous to the original
4. CONCLUSIONS
Many problems regarding
terminology of conservation remain
to be solved: the word “neutral”
is one example among many. This
paper highlights the term’s range
of meanings and proposes specific
terms for distinguishing the various
neutral options. It also provides
suggestions for using and interpreting
the adjective more accurately, but
the author believes reaching
terminological consensus will require
much more critical thinking. Maybe it
would be best to simply banish the
term? But what should replace it?
“Non-reconstructive”?
Aesthetic displeasure is not an
argument against neutral retouching.
Certainly, it should not be used
systematically for all types of losses,
as was the case at certain points in
the history of conservation: doing so
would neglect the artwork’s aesthetic
NUMBER OF COLOUR(S)
surrounding
the same colour
predominant
everywhere
underlying
intermediate several
unrelated depending on the areas
potential. Even if as a conservator you
find it aesthetically unpleasant, there
the will always be cases where it is required
because a reconstructive retouching
would be deeply conjectural and thus
unethical. In cases of deep conjecture,
any attempt at reconstruction would
necessarily be a personal, and thus
partial, reinterpretation, liable to
deceive the general public and
misguide art historians in their stylistic
or iconographic analyses.
a Because of its aesthetic implications,
neutral retouching is not an easy
exercise. Choosing a solution that is
the least disruptive requires either
natural talent or real effort to evaluate
examples and assess possible options.
To sum up, neutral retouching is
sometimes required from an ethical
point of view, but is a challenging
exercise. It is therefore essential for
conservators to get past prejudices
against neutral retouching in order to
give it the attention it deserves.
APPLICATION OF
COLOUR(S)
flat uniform
heterogeneous
The bad reputation of neutral retouching 35
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