Interactions of Water With Paintings

Water has long been regarded as a valued tool in conservation, utilised in the manufacture of materials and harnessed in various forms to suit conservation purposes. Paradoxically, however, it is also a potential agent of deterioration and even disaster. New avenues of research have led many conservators to explore the possibility of using aqueous materials such as gels as alternative treatments, but water can also be the cause, either directly or indirectly, of condition problems in supports, paint and varnish layers: in extreme cases water can all but destroy paintings entirely. The papers in this volume examine these different forms of interaction and their implications for conservators.