'Tales of the Unexpected': In Paintings Conservation

Conservators' prolonged proximity to paintings makes them ideally placed to notice anything unusual or surprising that might arise during examination or treatment. Ensuing investigations, often aided by various types of technical analysis, include the recent increasingly widespread use of macro X-ray fluorescence (MA-XRF) scanning, which has led to a raft of new discoveries. The papers in this volume, presented at the British Association of Paintings Conservator-Restorers conference 'Tales of the Unexpected' in Conservation, look at the unexpected in paintings from a variety of periods and places of origin, and from a range of perspectives: practical, technical, historical and ethical.