Aging (artwork)

Ageing is a process by which an artwork, typically a painting or sculpture, is made to appear old. It is meant to emulate the natural deterioration that can occur over many decades or centuries.

Paintings deteriorate over time because they are created using essentially incompatible materials, with each having a different reaction to the changes in the environment, including light, temperature and relative humidity.

An oil painting consists of several layers, comprising the base canvas, a layer of gesso base coat, several layers of the oil-based paint and then several coats of varnish to protect the paint surface. With many different materials, it is understandable that each layer may dry at different rates and will also absorb and release moisture at different rates. When this occurs, expansion and contraction of the painting will result in a crazing of the varnish surface. This pattern of small cracks is known as craquelure. Along with the darkening or yellowing of the varnish surface, it is this visual representation of the cracking that is typically the primary indicator of ageing.

The purpose for artificially ageing is to create a finished product that accurately reflects an era or is consistent with the environment (usually period) into which it is to be placed.

Conservation-restoration of cultural heritage

Specialties	Archaeology Antiques restoration Bioarchaeology Building restoration Conservation science (cultural heritage) Database preservation Heritage science Digital preservation Digital photograph restoration Film preservation Frame conservation Historic preservation Media preservation Object conservation Painting conservation Preservation (library and archival science) Sustainable preservation Web archiving

Conservation-restoration techniques	Aging (artwork) Anastylosis Arrested decay Archaeological sites Architecture Automobiles Bone, horn, and antler objects Books, manuscripts, documents and ephemera Ceramic objects Clocks Copper-based objects Feathers Flags and banners Frescos Fur objects Glass objects Historic gardens Human remains Illuminated manuscripts Iron and steel objects Ivory objects Lacquerware Leather objects Lighthouses Metals Musical instruments Neon objects New media art Outdoor artworks Outdoor bronze objects Outdoor murals Paintings Painting frames Parchment Photographs Plastic objects Shipwreck artifacts Silver objects Stained glass Textiles Tibetan thangkas Time-based media art Totem poles Vehicles Vinyl discs Woodblock prints Wooden furniture Cradling (paintings) Detachment of wall paintings Desmet method Fabric restoration Historic paint analysis Inpainting Kintsugi Leafcasting Lining of paintings Mass deacidification Mold prevention Overpainting Paper splitting Radiography of cultural objects Reconstruction (architecture) Textile stabilization Transfer of panel paintings UVC-based preservation

Notable conservation-restoration projects	Conservation issues of Pompeii and Herculaneum Conservation-restoration of Ecce Homo by Elías García Martínez Conservation-restoration of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper Conservation-restoration of the Shroud of Turin Conservation-restoration of the Sistine Chapel frescoes Conservation-restoration of the Statue of Liberty

Care and management	Collecting Collection (artwork) Collections care Collections catalog Collections maintenance Collections management (museum) Collections Management System Collection Management Policy Cultural heritage management Cultural resources management Deaccessioning (museum) Digital repository audit method based on risk assessment Display case Documentation of cultural property Emergency response (museum) Exhibition of cultural heritage objects Found in collection Inherent vice Inventory (museum) Museum integrated pest management Optical media preservation Preservation survey Preservation metadata Preservation Metadata: Implementation Strategies Preservation of meaning Provenance Repatriation Restoration (cultural heritage) Storage of cultural heritage objects

Collections care roles	Art handler Collection manager Conservation scientist Conservator-restorer Conservation technician Curator Exhibition designer Mount maker Objects conservator Paintings conservator Photograph conservator Preservationist Registrar (museum) Textile conservator

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Aging (artwork)

See also